


Bad Guy

by BlueLia



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: ATEEZ - Freeform, Abuse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Kidnapping, M/M, Nightmares, PTSD, Prince! Yeosang, Slow Burn, Violence, Wooyoung is trapped, kpop, wet dreams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-02-23 02:04:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 48,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23004001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueLia/pseuds/BlueLia
Summary: Yeosang wakes up in an unfamiliar room, there are rumours that the royal family have been killed last night.But he's not dead.There is a high amount of money for whoever can find him, and that's exactly what Wooyoung wants, which is why he has Prince Yeosang currently held hostage.
Relationships: Jeong Yunho/Kim Hongjoong, Jung Wooyoung/Kang Yeosang
Comments: 76
Kudos: 222





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> All I can say is please enjoy! I had so much fun writing it and I hope you have just as much fun reading it <3  
> I love Woosang hehe

Wooyoung has just one mission, and he is determined to succeed. He's never failed any before, so he won't fail today, even though this may be the hardest one he's gotten.

Stealing things is easy, and fighting bad guys is even easier -well, he's a bad guy too, so it should be easy.

Kidnapping someone... is something he's never done before, something he's never had to do anyway, his boss just tells him to fight people, since that's what he's best at.

Wooyoung is great at fighting in fact, since it takes a lot of movement, nothing to be discreet about. Stealing things, he has to be more discreet though, but nothing he can't handle.

Stealing a person... is proving to be challenging. How is he supposed to steal something that moves, and can fight back?

Wooyoung walks around the huge ballroom, his fancy clothes make him itchy but he has to maintain his disguise. Sneaking past security is a piece of cake, which makes him certain that other people have managed to sneak in.

Other people, as in the bad bad guys.

In this scenario, Wooyoung is the slightly less bad guy. The really bad guys are the actual reason Wooyoung is here, in the royal palace, 'attending' a ball.

The rebel group called 'les rois', French for 'the kings' which is ironic because their sole purpose is to abolish the monarchy, and replace it with their own people.

Now, Wooyoung has nothing wrong with the royal family, he just wants their money. Which is why he is going to be borrowing one for a while.

Spies from other clans spread the word that les rois were planning to kill the whole royal family today.

Today, the 14th of July, marks the 100th year of the Kang family ruling, the reason for the celebratory ball, and the perfect opportunity to end the Kang line there.

Les rois are a huge and powerful group, there is no way any other group can stop their plans for today. So Wooyoung chose to make the most out of their plans. It was his genius idea to sneak into the ball and kidnap one of the Kangs, any of them would do, because keeping them meant that there would be a very large amount of money given to whoever could bring their beloved royals back.

And Wooyoung loves money, he'll do anything to get more, he is a bad guy, you know?


	2. I

Yeosang smiles brightly at the guests before him, chatting to a few royals from other kingdoms, who have visited theirs in order to celebrate this special occasion.

The Kang family have been ruling for the longest their kingdoms have ever had, which is why today is a big deal for them. His father is a great king, always doing his best to please his subjects, Yeosang hopes to be like his father once he's king.

"What are you thinking?" Yeosang's father stands next to him looking at all the guests in their palace.

"I'm thinking that it's amazing that someone can be such a great leader, you always know what the best decision is, I think you're the best thing that has happened to our kingdom." Yeosang looks up to his father, smiling brightly at him.

His father chuckles "You'll do well like me Yeosang, I promise, if not even better" he pats his back. "Whenever I look at you, I see a great king, you carry out your own duties so well I've learnt many things from you. Don't worry too much eh? I'm going to be with you for a long time"

Yeosang smiles fondly at his father as he walks away to talk to guests. He's thankful for such an amazing role model.

~

Wooyoung's hands become clammy, there are a lot of people. A lot of witnesses. He has to somehow find a way to kidnap a royal without being seen.

First he has to find them though, he isn't even sure he knows what they look like, it's not like he keeps up with what goes on in the royal family or anything. Heck, he doesn't even know any of their names.

Scanning the massive room, Wooyoung looks for someone who could be royalty, someone who stands out maybe, wearing sparkly clothes? He's honestly not sure what to look for, he stands on his toes to get a better look.

"Are you looking for anything? The refreshments are on the left if that's what you want, or are you looking for someone?"

A deep voice interrupts Wooyoung's search party and he turns around to see someone smiling at him. They lock eyes, Wooyoung feeling a bit intimidated under his fierce gaze, despite his warm smile. Wooyoung blinks rapidly.

"No, no I'm just... admiring the atmosphere. This is a very impressive ball" Wooyoung plasters a fake smile and the person buys it.

"I'm glad you like it, I think it's impressive that the Kangs have been ruling for 100 years too isn't it?" The other guy says and Wooyoung just nods to play along.

Why was he sucking up to the royal family? He must be one of their servants then, Wooyoung looks at his attire. Not very sparkly and he's not wearing a crown.

"So..." Wooyoung starts carefully "do you know where the royal family is? I can't see them anywhere"

...

Wooyoung must have said something wrong since the guy he's talking to furrows his eyebrows, looking very confused.

"Sorry but, may I ask where you come from, I don't recall your face"

Shit, why is he asking where I'm from? Wooyoung forgot to make up a backstory. He usually doesn't need to have one, he just gets the job done. Nevertheless, his brain manages to make his mouth spew out rubbish.

"Oh, I wouldn't expect you to know me, I'm an... acquaintance of the royal family of the south... west over there" he vaguely points at a random group of people. "I'm a plus one, yes... We are grateful for the royal family for inviting us... yes an honour... it's my first time being here... good food"

Wooyoung hopes the guy buys it, but judging by his intense gaze, it looks like he doesn't. There's something about this guys eyes that makes him feel like he can see right through him.

"Ok, may I ask what your name is? And of this kingdom in the southwest?"

Wooyoung gulps, why is this servant guy asking so many questions, go back to serving people! He thinks, trying to shoo him away with his mind. He fails to shoo him, as the guy is still standing there, expecting an answer, looking more sceptical by the second.

He has to quickly think of something before he gets caught. His boss will literally kill him if he fails this mission.

"Well-"

A bell rings loudly, calling the attention of all the guests. The king is about to make a speech, and he calls his family to come join him.

"Sorry to interrupt our conversation, my father is calling me." The guy says, leaving Wooyoung stood there, mouth open in shock.

Shit, I was talking to the prince! I've given myself away... Wooyoung closes his eyes and bites his lip as he can already hear the bashing his boss it's gonna give him, if he even makes it to him without getting arrested.

No. Wooyoung shakes his head, he never gives up, even if his cover is blown, this mission could get him big money and he's not letting that opportunity get away that easily. He just needs a distraction so he can kidnap one of them without anyone noticing.

The attention is drawn to the king when he starts speaking.

"Thank you all for coming here to celebrate this wonderful occasion with my family and I, we are always grateful to our subjects for your continued support". There is a lot of cheering they and clapping, Wooyoung had no idea people actually adored the royal family, the glistening smiles on their faces clearly show it.

The royal family are all standing in a line, smiling at everyone around them. There is only four of them, the king, queen and their two children. They were both very young, one maybe around Wooyoung's age, who he had just spoken to, and a little girl even younger, maybe around 10. They all look happy, what a shame their smiles will be snatched off of their faces soon.

"Now, from my years of being king, I have learnt something very valuable I'd like to share with you all, because everyone deserves to know this. And that is to never forget-"

The glass from the king's hand falls onto the floor, pieces scattering as it makes a loud sound, shocking everyone. He clutches his chest, suddenly kneeling on to the floor, causing gasps to escape from everyone's lips, wondering what was happening to the king.

It's happening. Wooyoung thought, he needs to grab one of them before all of them are killed.

A scream is heard from behind and everyone turns to look at who is there.

A large gang of about fifteen huge men are there, holding all sorts of weapons, one of them is holding a bow and arrow, which Wooyoung supposed is the what shot the king. They are dressed in all black, looking determined to do what they came for.

"One down, three to go. All Kangs will die today. Say your goodbyes, because there will be no monarchy anymore, no pathetic royal family". They guy at the front says. He whips out a sword and commands his men to run.

And that's when all hell went loose.

The queen shouts for the guards and the rebels start running, shooting and killing whoever is in their way. The guards are no match for les rois as they easily get rid of them, their black outfits getting stained red with the blood of too many people. The king is helped up by a few people, he is still alive.

But not until one of the rebels shoots whoever is helping him and chokes him. "I'VE GOT THE KING" he shouts, and the other rebels cheer as the king begs to leave his family alone. The image of someone choking the king disappoints Wooyoung, where were all his guards?

The cruel man laughs and spits on his face, loving the fact that he had power over the king, who was supposed to be the most powerful man.

The king gives one last prayer to keep his family safe as he knows his time has ended. The man pierces his sword through the king, leaving him on the floor, blood spreading around him. The sound makes everyone turn to their direction, horrified at the sight.

People are screaming, crying, desperate to get out of the palace. The royal guards struggle to fight off les rois, as they go crazy on their hunt for the Kangs, not hesitating to kill anyone in their way. Blood stains the walls, floors, everything.

Wooyoung watches the scene in shock. He scans the room, the other royals are nowhere to be seen, obviously they had run off to hide. He needs to find them.

Wooyoung runs past the screaming civilians, avoiding the gang members, not wanting to be killed tonight. The guards are trying their best to defeat them but it is difficult.

He bumps into the men a little too often, since they were searching for the other royals too, he almost gets stabbed on the side because he was in the way of one of them. Luckily he's been in plenty of fights to know how to dodge a knife.

He has been searching for almost 15 minutes, running around the huge castle, which is like a maze, he feels like he's been in the same rooms and hallways 10 times but he is determined to find one of them.

He has to, he'd rather kill himself than show up to his boss empty-handed.

Another 15 minutes pass and Wooyoung is on the verge of giving up. Until he enters a bathroom. The quickly scans the room, and notices someone kneeling on the floor, crying, facing away from Wooyoung, meaning that they haven't noticed him yet.

He tip toes closer to get a better look and discovers that it is the prince who is crying on the floor. Jackpot. Wooyoung thinks and mentally pats himself on the back.

~

Yeosang's heart crumbles when he witnesses an arrow force its way into his father's chest. His younger sister screams and he suddenly feels hands quickly grabbing him, pulling him away from the scene, out of the room as quickly as possible. His last vision is his father is him dropping to the floor.

Tears flow down his cheeks as he is now running, someone still holding onto his arm. He lets out a loud sob and his running slows down. The person holding his arm holds his shoulders, he looks up to see Eden, their royal advisor, the man their family trusts the most.

"Yeosang listen to me, you need to run, get out of this castle, find somewhere to stay but leave now. You need to save yourself". He forces Yeosang to look at him but he can barely hear him over his sobs.

"Mum... Yeojin..." Yeosang says weakly, but Eden pulls him, telling him to go.

"I will find them, I promise, but you're on your own for now. Please Yeosang just leave, you'll see your mum and sister again, just run for now"

And he does. Yeosang runs as fast as he can, not really knowing where he's going because of the tears blurring his vision.

After some running Yeosang gets tired. He is still in his home, if he can even call it that anymore. He gets too tired to run anymore so he goes into a bathroom that is quite well hidden in the depths of the castle.

When he enters, he falls to the ground, letting a loud sob. He kneels onto the floor, letting his tears form a puddle in front of him. His heart aches and Yeosang clutches his chest as he cries his heart out.

He'd just witnessed his dad get murdered, and these people were looking for him to kill him too. And his mum, his sister...

He has no idea if they're alive or not, the last this he saw of them was his mum grabbing his sister and screaming at him to run.

He clutches the wall next to him, hand sliding down it as he leans his head on it, tears not slowing in pace.

His sobs are so loud he doesn't hear the door open.

And the last thing he remembers of this day is his nose and mouth being covered by a cloth. He doesn't even struggle against it and just lets his mind go black straight away.

~

Wooyoung stares at the limp body on the floor. He's not entirely sure on how to get him out of the castle without anyone noticing them, since there is a literal battle going on.

He picks the prince up and hauls him over his shoulder, he is thankfully light, which makes it easier for Wooyoung to run with him if he gets caught by anyone.

He opens the bathroom door slowly and checks if the coast is clear, then silently jogs out, looking for a way to get out.

Fortunately, they are still on the ground floor of the castle so when Wooyoung sees an open window in the hallway, he runs to it and silently escapes, taking Yeosang with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While you’re waiting for me to update, you can check out my previous works ;)


	3. II

Yeosang wakes up on an unfamiliar bed. When he sits up, a sharp pain on his head makes him flinch and close his eyes in pain.

Looking around, he realises that he has no idea where he is. He glances down and sees that he's still in his uncomfortable dress clothes from yesterday. His mind goes blank, and his heart beats faster. Where am I, Have I been kidnapped? He thinks as he gets extremely claustrophobic. 

The room he's in isn't big at all and it is completely empty, apartment from the tiny bed he's in. 

There aren't any windows either, only a door, and Yeosang stands up, walking towards it. He turns the knob, and of course, it's locked. He doesn't even know why he even tried opening it in the first place.

He bangs his fist on the door, wanting to gets someone's attention, planning to run out of the door if its opened but no one comes. He hits and kicks the door more, shouting for help but it's no use. No one is coming. 

Yeosang starts to panic, not knowing what to do now. Will someone come soon or will he be stuck here forever? Who brought him here? Questions flood his mind, amplifying the effects of his pounding headache. 

Looking behind him, he looks for another way out, but there is none. Yeosang touched the wall, and bangs his fist on it. His breaths quicken in pace as it it registers in his mind that he's most likely been kidnapped. 

He can't help the tears that start falling. It doesn't matter though, no one can see him anyway. 

Yeosang bites his lower lip, trying to stop it from trembling as he takes a deep breath and slows his thumping heart down. He might not know a thing about why or how he's here but there is one thing he knows: how to pick a lock. 

Leaving this tiny room is the only thing on Yeosang's mind right now, he is desperate to get out of this place and get back to his home, he needs to know what happened after the rebel group came and attacked their castle. 

His father had taught him to pick a lock with a safety pin, Yeosang had thought it was useless at the time but he's glad now that he knows some 'survival' skills, if you can call picking a lock a survival skill. 

Grabbing a pin from his jacket, he slides it into the lock and manoeuvres it around the lock, trying to get it to fit into the gears and unlock it. 

After a few minutes, there is a soft click and the door opens. Yeosang stares at the ajar door as a glimpse of hope enters him, he did it. Now he has to run as fast as he can and escape. 

He feels the adrenaline rushing throughout his whole body, readying him for his escape. His heart beats faster, getting ready to supply the oxygen needed to run. 

He feels nervous, he's never needed to break out of somewhere before and he doesn't want to get caught. It's too late now anyway, the door is open and he needs to go. 

With a deep breath, Yeosang runs, as fast as he can. 

The place is like a huge house, the hallways are long and lead to many rooms but none provide an exit for him. 

Yeosang frantically searches all the rooms, opening and closing the doors with a slam. He finds another long hallway and runs through it. 

While running, he glances back to check if anyone is following him, which seems to be the wrong time to do that as he crashes into someone with a huge force, making him fall backwards. 

He looks up from the ground to see a tough-looking guy giving him an unimpressed look. 

"Did you really think no one was guarding your door, or was going to come to stop you, after all the ruckus you made, banging on the door?" The guy laughs at him, it is a high pitched laugh and Yeosang sends him glares, wanting to smack his mocking face. 

"Where did you think you're going, running away like that? We're you escaping?" Wooyoung scoffs and starts laughing again, Yeosang has never felt this ridiculed in his life. 

He analyses the laughing man. He doesn't look far from his age, or his height even. But he looks way more built and is definitely a lot stronger than him, which is proven when he grabs Yeosang's arm with a mighty force. 

He starts to drag him back to the room and Yeosang can't even fight back because his grip is too strong.

"Let me go!" He says, trying to pry the iron grip off of his arm. He doesn't want to go back into that room again. He tries to make himself heavy by pushing his heels on the ground, to make it harder for him to drag him. But it's no use with how light he is. 

They get closer to the room and the door taunts him. Yeosang starts to feel claustrophobic again, he's desperate not to go in there. "Please" he whimpers "Not in there", grabbing the hands holding his arm and trying to peel the fingers off of him. 

The guy abruptly stops dragging him and Yeosang looks up to see why he suddenly stopped. 

There is another man standing in front of the door. He is much older than the other guy and is way scarier looking, in Yeosang's opinion. He is quite tall and very muscular, which makes the other guy seem like a fluffy bunny compared to him. 

"Why is our captive out of his room, weren't you watching him? You said you'd take responsibility for him!" His voice is menacing and makes the hairs on the back of Yeosang's neck stand up in fear. 

Suddenly the big man grabs Yeosang and roughly throws him in the room and slams the door, locking it. He groans at the impact of falling onto the floor. 

Yeosang looks around the small room he's in again and all traces of hope have diffused out, never to be seen again, not with those two scary guys guarding the door. 

He sits on the floor in defeat, his heart clenching in sorrow as his attempt to escape failed. He groans and leans his head on the wall when he hears an abrupt thud on the wall next to him. 

~

The tall man grabs Wooyoung's shoulders and shoves him onto the wall with a loud thud. "Care to explain why the prince managed to leave the room AND run that far out? I thought you were watching him Jung" 

Wooyoung gulps "I was watching him boss! I had no idea he knew how to pick locks, I did catch him though!" He weakly tries to explain. 

"Well you're doing a pretty shitty job you know?" He moves his hands to his neck. "What if he escaped, it'd be all your fault if we got caught. You wouldn't be forgiven for that" he adds pressure to his grip and Wooyoung starts to cough, grabbing his hands to try getting them off his neck, but he's too strong. 

"This was all your idea remember? It better work or I'm getting rid of you. Don't fuck it up." The boss finally lets go of Wooyoung's neck and walks off, leaving him gasping for breath. 

Wooyoung sits on the floor, leaning on the wall, trying to catch his breath. He would've been more affected by his boss brutal treatment if it didn't happen that often.   
It will work he thinks. Just you wait, I'm going to squeeze every last coin from the prince. Maybe then you'll treat me like a business partner instead of a slave.


	4. III

When Yeosang wakes up, he takes a look at his surroundings and sees the same room. Yep still here, it wasn't a nightmare. 

He sighs and sits up but his stomach growls loudly. He didn't eat anything at all yesterday, is he going to get food, are they going to make him starve to death?

Yeosang panics again, but he's too weak to try to escape and his stomach won't stop rumbling. It's the middle of July and he's feeling way too hot in these clothes he's been wearing for days now. 

Everything's a mess. Yeosang wants so get up but he's so hungry he has no energy to even move. 

He starts to feel extremely light headed, so he lies back down and his vision blurs. Is this how I die? How embarrassing he thinks. 

As sleep begins to take over him, he is startled awake by the sound of the door opening. 

The guy from yesterday is back, and holding a bowl of porridge, and bread. Yeosang looks to the side, too weak to actually sit up, and frowns at him. 

The guy grimaces at Yeosang's pitiful state. "Don't die just yet. Here, eat". He stands with the food, not knowing where to put it since the only piece of furniture in the room is the bed. 

He places it on the bed, careful not to tip it over, and heads out of the door. 

"Wait"

The guy looks back, Yeosang is still lying down on the bed. "I can't get up"

He scoffs, "Are you that weak? Can't survive a day without food or drink" Yeosang has never wanted to stab a man this badly before, wondering who gave him the right to be this cruel. 

Nevertheless, he still walked to his side and lifted him to sit up on the bed, against the headboard and placed his food on his lap. 

"There, the baby prince has gotten his breakfast in bed. You want a massage too?" He says, making Yeosang look up and glare at him. 

"Why are you even giving me food, after making me starve yesterday? Just let me die already, stop making this long for yourself"

"That was for that little stunt you pulled yesterday, this is what you get if you try to escape, so make yourself comfortable here because you're not getting out any time soon". The guy shoots Yeosang a deadly glare before storming off. 

"Wait!" 

He groans, turning around or the second time. "what is it now!"

"Can I get new clothes? These are really uncomfortable and I'm feeling hot in them". Since he's stuck here, might aswell be comfortable right?

Disbelief is evident in his face as he shouts at Yeosang. "Is this a hotel! Huh? I'm not your servant, this isn't your fancy castle. Why should I get you clothes?"

Yeosang has an idea. 

"Since you clearly love money, you can just sell my clothes, they're very expensive and are one of a kind, you'll get a lot out of it." He says, hoping he'll agree. 

The guy doesn't buy it though, and laughs at Yeosang. "Do you think I'm dumb? If I sell your clothes, people will find out they belong to you and it will get traced back to me, they come to me wondering why I have the missing prince's clothes. Nice try, but it is not happening."

Yeosang sulks, but he's too weak to argue any further so he just watches the guy walk off and lock the door. 

The food on his lap smells so good since he didn't eat yesterday and it finishes too quickly for his liking. 

He feels his energy being slowly revived but he feels helpless and gives up on trying to escape. He's stuck here, not knowing how long but just prays he can endure it until he somehow gets out. If he ever does. 

~ 

Wooyoung locks the room and heads up the stairs to his room. This isn't his house but since he currently has a captive, he's going to stay here too. His boss has a room but he doesn't stay that often since all this was Wooyoung's idea and the prince is 'his responsibility'. 

He opens his wardrobe. Should I give him new clothes? He thinks.   
The prince looked really genuine when saying that he was uncomfortable, and it is too hot to be staying in dress clothes... but why should he care anyway? 

A few hours later, Wooyoung unlocks the door and sees the prince pacing around the small room. He quickly shuts the door behind him and Yeosang looks at Wooyoung, clearly surprised that he's back. 

"I'm here to take the plate, and, here" he hands over an oversized t-shirt and joggers for comfort. 

He eyes the clothes suspiciously and slowly takes them. "Why are you giving me these now?" 

"Because you asked for them duh" Wooyoung rolls his eyes at Yeosang's suspicions, what could he have done with clothes that would endanger his life? He nods anyway and places the clothes on the bed, then turns to him. 

"What's your name?"

Wooyoung blinks. "Why do you want to know?" He says, frowning at him. 

This time Yeosang rolls his eyes. "Since you are my kidnapper doesn't that give me a right to know your name? You know mine."

"That makes no sense!" Wooyoung huffs, what kind of excuse was that. 

"Fine, don't tell me then, I-"

"Wooyoung."

Yeosang raises his eyebrows, he didn't actually expect him to reveal his name, it's not like he's going to do anything with it anyway. "What?"

"My name, Jung Wooyoung, since you're so desperate to know it". 

"I wasn't desperate jeez" Yeosang scoffs. "You didn't have to tell me your surname"

Wooyoung is tired of this conversation and just grabs the empty bowl and leaves, leaving Yeosang annoyed at him.

~

A few hours later, Wooyoung is back with another plate of food. "Dinner" he says, and shoves it to Yeosang's hands, he notices that he changed his clothes. 

He eyes him up and down and only realises what he's doing when Yeosang clears his throat. "Can I ask you something ?"

Wooyoung looks at his face, scowling at him. "What" he says, trying to make it clear that he doesn't like being asked questions.

"Why exactly am I kidnapped? Did you kill my father? Or was it that other guy? Did you take my mother too? And my sister? What-"

"Woah woah woah you said if you could ask something not somethings, and why should I answer your questions?" Wooyoung says and looks at Yeosang, who is sitting on the bed frowning at him. 

But he is suddenly standing up and walking towards him, a bit too close for Wooyoung's liking so he steps back, his back hitting the wall. Yeosang's eyes are threatening. 

"I have a right to know that's why. And you better have a good reason otherwise I'll stop playing helpless prince and actually beat you up so hard you-" he stops abruptly when he gets a good look of Wooyoung's face. He's close enough to analyse it, why does he look familiar?

Yeosang's eyes widen, taking a step back. "You were at the ball, we had a conversation!"

Wooyoung scoffs. "Of course I was at the ball, otherwise how would I have taken you?"

"I knew there was something fishy about you, you didn't even know who I was, and you couldn't even make up a believable place" It's Yeosang's turn to scoff, "kingdom in the southeast, that's not even a name"

"It was actually southwest" Wooyoung interjects. 

"Who cares! It's fake!" Yeosang shouts, surprising the other. He seems to be having an internal battle as he covers his face with both hands, then runs his hands through his hair. When he looks at Wooyoung his eyes are threatening again, making the other gulp. 

He walks to him again and looks him straight in the eye. "Tell me everything, why I'm here, what's happening to my family. Or my fist won't hold back colliding with your face." 

Yeosang silently pleads that Wooyoung buys his empty threats. He does know how to fight, but he definitely knows Wooyoung would win if the two ever fought. He has been told that his death stare is lethal so he's relying on that now.

It seems to work as Wooyoung gives in. "Alright alright" he says " You see, when people like something, they'll do anything to get it, and get more of it. That thing for me is money"

Yeosang rolled his eyes "Ok... go rob a bank or something, where do I come in this?" 

"Don't interrupt me prince, I wasn't finished." Yeosang rolls his eyes.   
"It all started when word got out that les rois we're planning on crashing the ball and kill all of the royal family" 

Yeosang cringed, remembering that horrible night. 

"Now, me being the clever mastermind I am, I figured that they wouldn't be able to kill all of them, those bastards think they're so powerful and strong, strutting around like they own the place-"

"Get back to the story" Yeosang says, earning a glare from the other. 

"Anyway, I was right. They only managed to kill the king before the guards caught them.   
The reason you're here right now is because there is a delicious amount of money waiting to be thrown at whoever can find the rest of the family, because they're nowhere to be seen." 

He lets out a cruel laugh and Yeosang has to hold himself back from smacking that smile off his face. 

"You see, I know you can't watch the news but, the remaining members of your family are also missing and the price for them is high too, but I must've saved a nation in a past life because you have the highest one, the next king. The one who must replace the fallen king"

Yeosang feels tears well in his eyes, no don't cry, not now. He doesn't want to cry in front of him, he didn't want to be laughed at. 

"The kings advisor, Eden was it? He's currently in charge, not as king but just trying to settle the kingdom. Oh how stressed he must be" he chuckles again and Yeosang doesn't get how someone can find joy in others misery. 

"Why don't you just give me in now? There's already money waiting for you to bring me back?" 

"You don't get it. The longer I keep you, the more desperate they will get to have their precious royals back. The price will get higher and higher, and once I feel like it's enough, I'll give you."

"And what if I escape?"

Wooyoung raises his eyebrows at his bravery. "You wouldn't dare. Plus, the remaining of les rois that haven't been locked up are roaming around, looking for you all. And if you come across them, that's the end, they don't want the money, they just want all the royals dead, they won't hesitate to kill you on the spot if they ever see you."

Yeosang's heart stops. He worries for his mother and sister, are they safe? Are they together or separated? He just wants his family back together again. 

And his dad to be alive. 

Why did this have to happen? Yeosang thinks, and an unwanted tear rolls down his cheek. He doesn't even notice it until Wooyoung starts to speak. 

He scoffs, "Why are you crying? Got no more servants to do thing for you, no longer have everything in a second once you ask for it?" Wooyoung taunts him and Yeosang's had enough of his voice. 

He looks up at him, eyes red and puffy with a threatening stare. Yeosang has never felt this angry before and he can't take his cruel mocking tone so he lets it out. And punches him. 

Wooyoung groans, holding his jaw and looking at Yeosang with surprised eyes, which soon shift to a deadly glare. "Oh you will regret doing that" he says as he strikes Yeosang on the stomach, then grabbing his shirt and pinning him to the wall. 

His jaw throbs but he tries to keep a tough facade in front of the prince, who apparently packs quite the punch. 

Yeosang doesn't flinch when he's pressed against the wall, also trying to look unbothered at the others actions. The two have a stare off and Wooyoung can't bring himself to punch him again. He feels too delicate against him, usually the guys he fights have lots of muscles to protect them but Yeosang is just... small, even though they're the same height. 

Wooyoung blames it on the fact that Yeosang actually has to be alive when he gives him in, so he just roughly let's go of him and leaves, not even looking back at him and slams the door. 

Yeosang immediately falls to the ground, his stomach hurting from the punch. But nothing hurt more than the mental pain he's feeling right now. 

He kneels on the floor and cries heavily. He mourns his dad properly for the first time. He mourns his mum and sister too, he has no idea what has happened to them but he just lets all his feeling out and blankly watches his tears splash onto the floor.


	5. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~This is a double update because this one is basically a filler chapter and I don't think anyone would appreciate waiting a week for this excuse of a chapter

It's been a week of Wooyoung going in and out, giving Yeosang meals wordlessly. Neither have uttered a word to each other nor mentioned their fight. Both of them refuse to apologise to the other. 

To pass the time, Yeosang walks around in circles, there is nothing to do in the room so he uses the time to plan his escape. However, being in a room for a week has made him feel even more claustrophobic than before, there is not natural light coming in, or any fresh air. 

The only thing he can do to keep him sane is pace around in circles, and plan. Even if there is no chance of him escaping, planning one proves that he has hope. He just wants hope at least. 

Yeosang is sitting on the floor when Wooyoung comes in with lunch. He silently shoves it to him and makes his way out again. 

He hesitates slightly when turning the doorknob. Wooyoung turns around instead to face Yeosang. 

"Today's the funeral for your father" Wooyoung had watched the news this morning. It's not like he was keeping up with what was going on over there, it just happened to be in while he was watching tv. He doesn't even know why he told Yeosang that. 

Yeosang's heart dropped, the reality of his father not alive anymore hits him again. He wishes he could attend but he knows that's not an option. 

"And no, you can't attend. There are rumours that les Rois are planning to go and try to attack there but I doubt they can do it since the royals upped their security immensely" he scoffs at their stupidity. 

Yeosang knew he wasn't ever going to be allowed out, not even for his father's funeral. Even with Wooyoung's claims that it's to 'keep him safe from the members of les rois' he knows it's actually because he's afraid he'll try to escape. And that's true. It was getting too stuffy in the room, he needed to go out. 

"Please, can't you make an exception just this once? I won't try to escape if that's what you're worried about" he lies, hoping Wooyoung believes him. "I just want to attend the funeral, maybe my mum and sister will be there too" he puts on his best pitiful face but nothing works as Wooyoung laughs at him, not even saying a word before slamming the door shut. 

He hears the lock click and Yeosang just groans and falls to the floor. He's never hated someone this badly before, all he felt for Wooyoung was hatred. 

He would have just preferred it if les rois just killed him, instead of what Wooyoung is doing, being held captive is way worse, he thinks.

Being alone in this room leaves too much time for his thoughts to take over. The bad thoughts that erase all the hope Yeosang had ever managed to gather. Wooyoung is too stubborn. He knows he won't take any chances after he'd tried to escape last time. 

He was so close last time... if only Wooyoung hadn't caught him he could have ran away. Or he might have encountered another obstacle...

That man, Wooyoung's boss, is much more intimidating than the other, mainly because he is much taller and built. He didn't even have a problem with punishing Wooyoung, someone he works with, Yeosang can't imagine what he would've done to him if he'd caught him instead of Wooyoung. 

From what he heard that say, it sounded like he was threatening Wooyoung but Yeosang couldn't hear much. Was he controlling him? Giving him orders? Why is Wooyoung doing all the work? He doesn't actually mind that he was doing all the work, Yeosang doesn't want to have an encounter with that guy. 

He shakes his head, he is thinking too much again and it's making us head pound. 

He doesn't even know what the time is, there are no windows to indicate the time of day, or a clock in fact. Yeosang just knows he's sleepy, so he heads to the bed and falls into a dreamless sleep, not even noticing Wooyoung coming in a few moments later, with dinner in his hands. 

Wooyoung stops abruptly at the sight of him. Why is he asleep so early? It's only 7pm... he thinks, but he honestly couldn't care less and leaves again, placing the food next to the bed, not bothering to wake him up. 

He locks the door and heads upstairs to his room. The image of Yeosang sleeping is printed in his mind and he tries to shake it off. He can't remember when he could sleep as peacefully as that, it takes him hours to fall asleep and even then, it doesn't last as long as it took to happen. 

He can't help but think he looked better when he wasn't angry, the only emotion Yeosang showed to him was anger and honestly, he can't blame him. He would be angry if he was suddenly kidnapped and separated from his family, that is, if he had any... but that is a story for another time. 

He's walking through the hallways when he finds his boss there, walking towards him and Wooyoung stops in his tracks, letting him walk over to him. 

"What's the prince doing now" he says, as if he's collecting a mission report or something. 

"He's asleep" 

Well don't know why it's funny but his boss just chuckles, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. 

"I see the prince is treating the like a vacation, sleeping all the time. He must like having us as slaves too, it's not like anything has changed, he's still being served without even saying a word" his expression suddenly darkens but before he can get another word in, Wooyoung interrupts him. 

"I told you this is my job, I'm the one who came up with it, I'll do what I feel is necessary, you don't need to worry about him being treated like a price, because he sure as hell isn't with me" Wooyoung assures him. 

"Good, we may be getting good cash out of this, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun and make him suffer a little too, make him forget he ever was royalty. And let him feel what others have experienced too many times"

Wooyoung didn't know what he meant by that but he was already walking off before he could ask. 

Something uneasy churned inside his stomach, he doesn't know why but he just shakes it off, and proceeds into his room.


	6. V

Yeosang paces the small room, running a hand through his hair. With every passing day, he becomes more and more restless trapped here, and becomes more desperate to leave, not to go back home, but to search for his missing family members. 

He stares at the door, glaring at it. Oh how he wishes he has the strength to kick it down. 

Yeosang suddenly starts walking towards the door, not knowing what he's doing but feels his arm lifting up slowly and landing on the silver handle. Taking a shaky breath, he slowly turns the knob until he hears a soft click. 

His eyes widen, and he abruptly lets go of the handle, as if it had burnt him. The door is ajar now, displaying only a mere centimetre of what is on the other side. 

Why is the door unlocked? How long had it been unlocked, did they know it was unlocked? Yeosang holds his breath, expecting something to be out there, like a trap testing to see what he would do if he could leave. 

With a silent prayer, he pulls open the door, not stepping out of the room yet, just observing the hallway. 

It suddenly registers in his brain that he can leave, only if he doesn't get caught that is. Nevertheless he is still able to finally leave the room. 

He steps out of the room, breathing a sigh of relief. For someone who was kidnapped, he knows that his time in the room wasn't that long, but it did feel like he was there for months, and all he knew was that he never wants to go in there again. 

The feeling of suffocation was unbearable, along with the feeling of boredom and loneliness. All those and more had affected him a lot. 

He starts to walk through the hallway, towards the stairs going up, determined to leave the place. He looks back to the room, the door is wide open and increases his pace, quickly going up the stairs. 

He walks through the hallway which has more rooms than downstairs, all of them closed. Yeosang sees the front door, and his heart beats faster. 

Finally. He thinks, unable to stop his smile, a feeling of victory bubbling up inside of him. Until it stops sharply. 

This was too easy... 

There must be a catch. 

He looks around, searching for some type of trap, anything that could hinder his escape. 

Behind him, Yeosang hears a thud, then another one. He quickly turns back, hands lifted in a fighting position in defence but no one is there. He hears it again and realises that the sound is coming from a door, someone was banging on the door. 

His legs drag him to he door, he doesn't want to know who's banging on it but he ends up in front of it anyway. His heart thuds against his chest. 

To be completely honest, he's scared of what's behind the door, it's none of his business and when he's got freedom right under his nose, he doesn't even know why he turned back. 

But his heart drops when he hears crying. 

"Save me" 

The voice is soft, very feminine and Yeosang's heart has reached his stomach when he realises who's voice it is. 

"Yeojin!" Yeosang shouts, running to the door, shaking the handle hurriedly. It's locked but that doesn't stop him from taking a few steps backwards and slamming his shoulder into the door. 

He clutches his shoulder in pain, glaring at the still locked door. Tears run down his cheeks rapidly, one by one, splashing into the floor as he leans against the wall, falling into the floor. 

Why is she here? Wooyoung said he doesn't know where she is... he lied to me. Yeosang's anger fuels throughout his body as he promises to kill Wooyoung the next time he sees him. 

After calming down the tears, he crawls to the door, placing both hands on it. "Yeojin, it's me, Yeosang. I'm going to get you out of here, don't worry, move away from the door so I can open it". 

He waits a few seconds before taking a few steps back, and trying to open the door again, this time with as much force as he could. 

When the door opens he stumbles a bit but quickly regains his balance to search for his sister. 

He looks around the room and his eyes land on her small figure in the floor, crying. Yeosang rushes to her, holding her face up to look at him. His tears started to fall again as relief washes over him, she is okay, no injuries or any of the sort. 

"I'm here, don't worry" he says, pulling her into a hug, her tears made his shoulder wet but he couldn't care less. His tears fall onto her hair. 

He lets go and stands up, "come on, there's no one here right? Let's go, quickly" 

But she doesn't move from her place, her sobs becoming heavier. Why wasn't she getting up? He thinks, does she feel too weak to even move?

"Yeojin why aren't you getting up?" He frowns as she doesn't even look up at him. 

But when she lifts her arms, Yeosang's heart crumbles into a million pieces. 

Connected to her arms were chains, large and heavy, just by looking at them he could tell that it took a lot of effort to move. How had he missed those huge chains connected to her hands?

He kneels back to her, eyes frantically searching for where the chains led to. They were so long and he couldn't find what her chains were attached to. 

Grabbing her shoulders, he shakes her gently in order to get her to look at him. "Yeojin, tell me, who did this to you? Was it Wooyoung?" 

She doesn't say anything but just points to the right. Yeosang turns his head so fast he's certain he heard a crack. 

The right side of the room was dark, he could barely see anything, so he slowly walked over there, fearing what he would find, when he sees it, he stops in his tracks, heart stopping. 

To say he was shocked is an understatement. He can't believe what he is seeing. 

Wooyoung is stood there, his expression is blank but the way his eyes pierce Yeosang's, making him shiver. 

Never releasing the eye contact they held, Wooyoung lifts his hands up, displaying the cuffs on his wrists. His chains connect to the ones on his sisters hands. 

Yeosang is frozen, no matter how hard he tries, he can't make himself move, only watch. What is he supposed to do? Find a key and unlock both of them? Unlock his sister then run away with her?

Wooyoung suddenly grabs his chains and pulls them forward, pulling Yeojin with them, she squirms as she is pulled towards him. He continues pulling until she is in front of him, both of them facing Yeosang, her back towards Wooyoung. 

He doesn't expect a tear to roll down Wooyoung's cheek and he becomes even more confused when they don't stop falling, but that tiny bit of pity he felt immediately disappears when he grabs Yeojin's arm, squeezing it tightly, making her cry out in pain, fingers digging hard enough to draw blood. 

Yeosang is snapped out of his frozen state as he runs towards them, ripping off Wooyoung's grip on his sister. He shoves him onto the floor, and climbs on top of him, grabbing his shirt. 

"What the fuck are you doing, don't fucking touch my sister" he growls, throwing a punch to his face, making the other groan in pain. 

He decided he didn't have time to beat Wooyoung up, that was for another day. Her rushes to his sister, who is clutching her arm in pain. He takes her arm and examines it. 

"Does it hu-" Yeosang looks at her arm again. The chains are gone, he furrows his eyebrows. How did those chains disappear, are they still attached to Wooyoung?

He looks up to where Wooyoung was to check, but he's not there anymore. He blinks in confusion, what is happening?

His sister points a shaky hand to the left and Yeosang is almost too scared to look. 

He slowly turns his head to the left to see Wooyoung standing up, chains still on him. But he isn't attached to anyone, someone behind him is holding the chains, controlling his every move. 

He hears the dark shadow behind Wooyoung chuckling, the sound making his toes curl in discomfort. 

Wooyoung is suddenly pushed to the ground, making him kneel, chains rustling loudly beside him. 

"Wooyoung what have you done? Was this your stupid idea? To kidnap royals then let them escape?" He kicks his back, making him fall forward a bit, his head is hung low, refusing to look up. 

Yeosang is horrified at what he's seeing but like before, he's frozen. He doesn't know what to do. 

"Do you want us to get caught, huh?" He is kicked again. "I'm going to have to handle this myself then, we can't let them escape again, do you know how we're going to make sure we they can't escape?" There is a long silence as no one dares to say a thing. 

"We kill them"

Yeojin whimpers behind Yeosang, grabbing his arm. But he can't move, no matter how hard he tries, he is in too much shock to move. 

"Les rois have a good price for whoever can kill the remaining royals, and dare I say that it's better that what Eden is offering."

He chuckles again, this time the sound echoes through the whole room, ringing in his ears and going down his back, making him shiver. 

"Come on Wooyoung, since you love money so much, this could make us rich, we have two weak royals, who can't even run away while the door is open." He looks directly into Yeosang's eyes, "kill them both"

Wooyoung's chains are pulled upwards, forcefully making him stand and he is pushed towards the two. 

Wooyoung's eyes are bloodshot, and a few tears are still falling off his face. As he walks towards him, Yeosang still can't get himself to move.

"Get the girl first"

Suddenly Yeosang's grip on his sister is ripped off as Wooyoung pulls her away from him. 

"NO!" He screams, running towards her.


	7. VI

Yeosang gasps, sitting up and immediately coughing. He whips his head around his surroundings and sees the room he's been trapped in for the past week and a half. 

Yeojin? Where is she! He gets off his bed, frantically trying to open the door, but it's locked. How did I get back in here?

The door isn't opening and Yeosang starts to panic, what had happened up there, why did his memory just stop there? 

He paces the room, trying hard to think of a way to get out, what if his sister is still alive... he is going to kill Wooyoung the next time he sees him. 

As if on cue, the door opens and Wooyoung walks in, holding a tray with breakfast on it and his stomach rumbles loudly, not remembering when he last ate. 

Wooyoung just puts down his food when Yeosang storms up to him, pushing him against the wall and holding him there. 

"Where is my sister? What did you do to her!" His fists grab his shirt threateningly, while his eyes shoot daggers at him. 

His eyebrows furrow in confusion, "What are you talking about? How the fuck would I know where she is?" He tried pushing Yeosang off of him but the other just holds him tighter. 

"I know she's upstairs, I saw her, you were there too! Why would you put chains on her" he pulls Wooyoung's shirt to decrease the gap between their faces. 

As Yeosang grits his teeth waiting for an answer, he puts on his best death glare but Wooyoung's confusion only increases. 

"The fuck you going on about? Chains? We're you dreaming or something?" 

...

Was that all a dream? Yeosang's eyes widen in realisation and as soon as his threatening facade is gone, Wooyoung roughly pushes him off of him, tutting at his behaviour. 

"I bring you food and you beat me up for it, how nice" he scoffs then leaves the room, locking it. 

Yeosang didn't even listen to what he said, to too busy in his own thoughts. His dream has seemed so real, but it also didn't make sense, he couldn't even consider it a dream, it was a nightmare. 

He had felt so much in that nightmare, he felt freedom and happiness after a long time, relief that he had found his sister, anger and confusion towards the chains and Wooyoung, and fear. Of the bad guy in the dream, the dark figure, telling Wooyoung to kill them. 

He didn't even realise he was crying until the tears splashed onto the floor and his feet. He cried because he is still stuck in this room, he cried because he doesn't know where his sister is, what is she is in a worse position than him? He cried because he doesn't know if he'll ever be free again. 

After a solid hour of letting his emotions and frustrations out, Yeosang calms down and sits on his bed. His head pounds because of his long crying session, he had lost a plentiful amount of water. 

His head hangs low as he sulks, he breathes in a deep breath but then catches a bad smell. His nose wrinkles in disgust, it's him that smells. Not showering for almost two weeks plus waking up in a cold sweat this morning has made him desperate for one. Am I supposed to go months without washing myself, am I not allowed to? He lies on his bed, too exhausted to think about anything at the moment. 

A few minutes later, Wooyoung walks in again, holding lunch but he stops abruptly. "You didn't even touch your breakfast! You do know these things cost money, you probably didn't know that since your servants spoon feed you every day"

Yeosang rolls his eyes at Wooyoung's spiteful comments, to be honest he'd completely forgot about his food, even though he was hungry. 

He turns away to leave the room but Yeosang suddenly sits up. "Wait" he says, earning an impatient look from Wooyoung. 

"What do you want now" 

He stands up, and fiddles with his fingers, how was he supposed to ask this? 

"Can I please take a shower?" He asks, looking up at Wooyoung, who frowns at him. 

"Please! I haven't taken one in almost two weeks and I smell and I just really need a shower, this isn't some plot to escape, it's just basic hygiene needs" 

He sees Wooyoung look away, thinking for a while and after a long minute, he sighs and nods. "Fine, but you have to eat your food too, stop being so wasteful."

"Ok!" Yeosang agrees and follows Wooyoung, who hesitantly opens the door and lets him out. 

He looks around the short corridor which he'd seen twice: once when he tried to escape the first day, and the second time in his dream. Wooyoung is in front of him but he is close, to make sure Yeosang doesn't suddenly run off. 

As they go up the stairs, Yeosang's heart beats a little faster, as the feelings from his dreams appear again. The journey seems too long, when though the place is small but when they finally arrive at the top of the stairs, his heart skips a beat. 

The corridor looks exactly like how it was in the dream. He can see the room where everything happened in and Yeosang can't help but want to know what is in there. 

Wooyoung turns the handle to a different room, which he supposed is the bathroom but Yeosang quickly stops him. 

"Wait!" He says, turning to the other side of the hallway. "What's in that room?" He points to it. 

Wooyoung frowns in confusion. "That's my bedroom, why do you want to know?" 

"Can I see it" Yeosang doesn't care if that sounded weird but he has to see it in order to clear his mind. He has to see it empty. Wooyoung looks even more confused though and unwilling, not knowing what Yeosang's reasons were for being so desperate to see his bedroom. 

"Why would I show you my room and why do you even want to see it?" He grimaces at him. 

He has to find a way to convince him to let him see his room. Yeosang absolutely has to see what's in it, he needs to clear his mind. Should I threaten him? Cry? Seduce him? 

Yeosang honestly doesn't know which option he chose when he walks closer to him while Wooyoung takes a few steps back until his back hits the wall. 

He lifts his hands to place them on his stomach, then lifts them up, dragging his fingers up his chest, feeling his heart hammer rapidly. He then holds his collar. His piercing gaze holds Wooyoung in a trance. 

He seems to be in shock as he just watches him in fear and confusion, and gulps when Yeosang pulls him closer, making their noses touch. 

He decides to take the 'threatening' route. 

"Show me that room now or I will not hesitate to kick you in the balls and run out the front door" he growls, making sure Wooyoung knows he's serious. 

It seemed to have worked as he just nods, quickly pushing Yeosang away from his death grip and leads him to his room silently. Wooyoung is glad he's facing away from Yeosang so he doesn't see his flustered appearance. 

He opens the door to his room and Yeosang takes a shaky breath before looking inside, he sill hadn't recovered from his nightmare. 

To his relief, the room looks nothing like the one in the dream, it just looks like a regular bedroom, clean and not like some sort of prison chamber. 

Wooyoung was looking at Yeosang suspiciously. Why does he want to see my room? Creep. He shoots him one last glare before pulling him out of the room and shutting the door. 

"Ok now your strange request has been fulfilled, can you please just go where you're supposed to!" 

He's slowly getting more and more annoyed at the prince's entitlement in everything, thinking he can just make weird demands and expect Wooyoung to carry them out like a slave? No way. 

He takes him to the bathroom and tells him to wait there as he quickly ran to his room to grab a spare set of clothes. When he's back, Yeosang is just standing in the bathroom, looking around awkwardly with his hands behind his back. 

He clears his throat, making the other jump and turn around to face him. Wooyoung shoves the pile of clothes in his arms "you have 15 minutes, I'll be outside." He mumbles, then runs off, accidentally slamming the door in the process. 

Yeosang looks at the fresh set of clothes in his arms and smiles. He hasn't asked for them, he'd figured if he did, Wooyoung would just say something about not being his servant, leaving him to wear the same dirty clothes. But he gave new ones without him even asking. 

Maybe he's not that bad of a guy. 

Wooyoung sits on the floor next to the bathroom door. He buries his head into his knees as his thoughts overflow him, with the sound of the shower in the background. 

Why did I give him clothes, he didn't even ask for them. Stupid. Stupid. He smacks his forehead in frustration, he hates it when people wear his clothes so why did he just throw them at Yeosang all willy nilly? Bad guys don't act like this. 

He leans his head against the wall and doesn't even notice that the sound of the shower has stopped until Yeosang opens the door, making him jump slightly and he quickly stands up. 

Wooyoung grimaces at him wearing his clothes but he just sucks it up, it's not like he can take them back anyway now, it's too late. 

The walk back to the room is silent as both don't know what to say to the other. They prefer not talking anyway, because 9.9 out of 10 times if they talked, it always ended up turning into an argument, and neither had the energy for that today. 

Yeosang enters the room and as Wooyoung is about to leave, he stops him. "Thank you, I feel a lot better" he honestly feels both physically and mentally better. 

Wooyoung looks at him, his hair is still wet and his cheeks are tinted pink from the hot shower. His expression is one that makes him want to gag, he was looking so content and thanking him, he doesn't need his gratitude. He gulps and quickly looks away, Yeosang fiddled with his little sweater paws and Wooyoung can't help but think he looks too delicate in his clothes. 

"This will only be a once a week thing, I'll take you up and back to your room too" he mutters and leaves the room, and of course, locking it before waking away. Why is he offering to let him shower every week? He didn't even ask for it. 

He face palms for the millionth time today. Why did I say that? Stupid. Stupid.


	8. VII

It's now the third week of Yeosang being trapped here and there's one thing he definitely knows. His door is always locked. Obviously. But what has the power to lock and unlock a door? A key. A key that Wooyoung always keeps in his back pocket. 

Yeosang always eyes the keys whenever he comes in, it was constantly within his reach but he never had the courage to take them. 

Until today, when he walks in, holding his lunch. Yeosang may have given the impression that he was no longer a threat because Wooyoung just leaves the keys on his bed so he could free his hands for a moment. He doesn't put it in his back pocket like usual, and now they were even closer to him, he couldn't just pass up an opportunity like that. 

Whatever blind trust he possessed from him, he is about to break, because as Wooyoung walks over to him to hand over his food, Yeosang quickly runs past him and grabs the keys, making a move for the door. 

Of course, he hadn't thought about the fact that he actually had to unlock the door first before escaping, and that the room is very small, so it doesn't take long for Wooyoung to put the food down and grab the back of Yeosang's shirt, who is struggling with the lock.

He pulls him away from the door, key still in the lock, with a force that makes Yeosang fall onto the floor. 

"What's this? Did you really just try to escape right now?" Wooyoung scoffs in disbelief. He looks down at the boy on the floor with a dirty look. "I thought I made it clear on what would happen if you pulled a stunt like this again"

He pulls him up from the floor by his shirt and purposefully slams his back onto the wall, making him yelp in pain. "Oh did that hurt?" He laughs. "I'm sorry, but that was just a little teaser of what I'm about to do." He says, almost growling at him. 

"You almost got me into huge trouble prince. Maybe this time I have to make some actual damage so you can't even walk to the door, let alone escape." 

His words are dangerous, and Yeosang doesn't know how true they are. All he knows is that he is scared under Wooyoung for the first time. 

It seems like every relatively decent thing he did for Yeosang is thrown out the window as he sneers at him, threatening to hurt him. 

But he isn't going to give in. Wooyoung could give as many death glares as he likes, Yeosang isn't going to play the helpless prince game. He is sick of the other treating him like a piece of trash and being mindlessly cruel. What was the reason for being so cruel to someone you don't know, and has done nothing wrong to you? Yeosang's expression shifts within a blink, from frightened to sending daggers with his eyes. 

He had nearly missed the .1 second of Wooyoung being thrown off at his change in expression, but he's glad he didn't because it gave him all the confidence to kick Wooyoung away from him.

He grabs his shin, groaning at the impact but recovers all too quickly and grabs Yeosang's arm, pulling him towards him. Since Wooyoung is the experienced one in fighting, it's much to easy for him to land a punch to Yeosang's jaw.

The other yelps in pain and stumbles onto the floor, letting his eyes fall closed. 

Wooyoung's eyes widened as he stared at the boy on the floor. Did he go too far? It was a bit unfair that he fought for a living while Yeosang didn't. 

Though what he doesn't know is that Yeosang is experienced in acting. Not, in real shows, but in events and gatherings where he has to pretend he's having a good time. 

So, when Wooyoung cautiously kneels beside the laying boy, Yeosang shoots up and throws him onto the floor, straddling his waist to keep him from moving. 

His eyes widen in shock once again as the other grabs his neck, adding some pressure, not enough to hurt, but enough to cause discomfort. Wooyoung has never been in this position before, usually he's the one that has the control, so he doesn't like this one bit. 

He grabs Yeosang's hands, trying to yank them off his neck but the other just growls and presses harder, making him cough. 

Yeosang leans forward, enough so their noses touch. "I bet you don't like this position you're in do you? It makes you feel small doesn't it?" He tries not to wince as he speaks, Wooyoung's punch had really hurt his jaw, which he can feel is throbbing. 

He just wants to make Wooyoung feel trapped and small like he made him feel. 

Yeosang presses their noses together, their breaths mingling through their heavy pants. Wooyoung tries to move his face away but he grabs his face. "You don't like feeling this trapped, unable to move huh?" He chuckles. "Just think of this as a taste of your own medicine, let's see how you like being locked in this room by yourself." 

Yeosang lets go of him and grabs the keys, running to the door. But Wooyoung is too fast as he crawls on the floor and grabs one leg, pulling him onto the floor. He pulls Yeosang forward and punches his jaw again, on the same spot. 

This time Yeosang cries out in pain even louder. That'll show you how to shut up. Wooyoung thinks. As he lifts Yeosang up by his collar, he throws him on the bed. 

This time when Wooyoung swings his arm back, he accidentally gets a glance of Yeosang's face. There is a light bruise on his face, which will no doubt darken. He looks at the boy shielding himself with his arms, ready to take another blow. 

But Wooyoung hesitates. He doesn't know why but he does. 

And that one second of his arm stopping in the air allows someone from behind to grab it, pulling him off the bed. His arm is roughly yanked away with such a force it makes him stumble. 

Wooyoung's eyes widen as he sees his boss stare angrily at him. 

"Tell me why you are BEATING UP OUR CAPTIVE!"

Yeosang can't hold back his shocked gasp when he brings his hand down to hit Wooyoung on the face. Luckily the sound of the slap was too loud for them to hear his gasp. 

"How are we going to explain him being all beat up when we give him in? He needs to be in good condition!" Another slap. 

"Sorry boss... but the prince was trying to take my keys and escape! I was just teaching him a lesson." Wooyoung winces was he speaks. 

He scoffs, and turns to Yeosang, who gulps in fear at the man. The two have a stare off until he begins to speak. 

"You don't understand that we are keeping you safe do you? You'd be killed instantly if you were out there instead." He walks up to Yeosang, looking down since he was much taller than him. 

He takes another step forward, and at the same time, Yeosang takes another back. They continue for another few steps until his back hits the wall. Now that Yeosang is trapped, the boss continues to talk. 

"If you try escaping again, I will personally take you to les rois, who will be more than delighted to slit your throat." He growls. "Count your blessings boy, you probably were never taught that since you had everything at your command". 

He takes a step back to sneer at him, Yeosang gives him a dirty look back, annoyed at his audacity to assume what his life was like. But he doesn't do or say anything because he fears for his life. 

Instead, he just watches the man turn around and grab Wooyoung again. 

"And you. You keep your hands to yourself, verbally abuse him all you want but he needs to be in good conditions for us to give him back and get the money!" He raises his voice at the last part, making him grimace. 

Wooyoung is grabbed by the ear and dragged out of the room, his complaints audible even after them shutting the door. 

Once again, Yeosang is alone. 

He sits on the bed and clutches his stomach, caught off guard by the sudden sharp pain. When he groans, his jaw that was repeatedly hit by Wooyoung throbs. 

All Yeosang feels is pain. He just wants it to go away but this feeling of pain overpowers everything else.


	9. VIII

A few hours after Wooyoung was dragged out of his room by his boss, he walks in again, holding his last meal of the day. He looks sulky, as if he had been given a long lecture. 

Yeosang is standing up when he walks in, turning around after hearing the door open, then having his food shoved in his hands. Before he could even say anything, Wooyoung storms off, slamming the door. 

"Wait!" He shouts, then sighs, he probably didn't even hear him. 

He sets his food onto his bed, since there are no other pieces of furniture in the room. He starts to eat but stops when he hears the sound of the door being unlocked. 

Looking up, his eyes met with Wooyoung's, who seems annoyed at Yeosang. "What?" He says impatiently, raising his eyebrows. 

Yeosang is confused. "What?"

Wooyoung groans loudly "you told me to wait now what do you want!" He hits his head on the door in annoyance. 

Oh he heard that? Jeez he doesn't have to be so rude about it. Yeosang thinks, sending him a glare. He still answers him anyway. 

"Can I ask for something?"

Wooyoung raises his eyebrows "what do you want? I'm not getting you anything like a tv if that's what you're asking" he says and Yeosang rolls his eyes. 

"No not that, I- could you get me a clock?"

Before Wooyoung could question him, Yeosang continues talking. 

"It's not much I'm asking and I really don't want to fight over this but please. I have no indication of the time, it's gets frustrating sometimes, I'm just asking for a clock of some sort" 

His words are genuine and Wooyoung hates the way his pleading eyes bore into his soul. I mean, what harm could a clock do? 

"Fine. I'll see what I can do" 

Yeosang gasps, which makes Wooyoung look at him. He is smiling. "Thank you" He says, flashing his teeth. 

He wishes he could lie and say his heart didn't skip a beat looking at his smile. But the fact that he's only seen the prince sad, angry or annoyed, his smile was a nice change.

~

He comes back a few minutes later, Yeosang has finished his food. Wooyoung noticed he eats really quickly. Maybe it's because he barely gets any food. For some reason, guilt bubbles up inside of him. 

Which makes it even more strange to see Yeosang's face light up when he hands him a watch. 

He takes the watch, looking at it as if it was a bar of gold. Then he looks up to Wooyoung, smiling at him as if he'd just told him he could go home. 

There it goes again, he can't help the way his heart starts to pump faster when the prince looks up to him so gratefully. 

Wooyoung quickly grabs Yeosang's empty plate and leaves, quickly locking the door behind him. 

He leans on the door and lets out a long breath. Closing his eyes, his hand moves to his chest, which is still beating like crazy. 

Just a few hours ago, he was beating him up and now, he had just given him a watch without even thinking twice about it? 

Is this what a good deed felt like? Being a bad guy meant that he was very inexperienced in this field. 

Somehow seeing a genuine smile felt so refreshing to Wooyoung, he has to see it again. No. He shakes his head. What am I thinking? He quickly runs off, away from the door. 

~

Yeosang stares at the watch in his hand. It's 8:30 pm right now. 

He laughs in disbelief, because he thought he would've at least had to be on his knees for this, but Wooyoung just... gave it. 

He puts it on and stares at his wrist, just watching the hands slowly move. 

He stays like that for almost half an hour, laying down on his bed, just staring at the watch. Is this Wooyoung's? There's no way he bought one so this must be his. 

Yeosang doesn't know what to do with this information but he touches the watch, lightly tapping on the glass, smiling softly and it's only a matter of time before he falls asleep. 

~ 

When Yeosang wakes up, he immediately checks the time. 7:34. He had a really long sleep. He can't help the corners of his mouth turning up, but he just can't believe he knows the time now. 

It may seem useless wanting to know the time when you're in a room you can't leave. But Yeosang doesn't even have a window in his room for him to even guess what the time was. Especially after a nap, he had no indication of how long he slept, what time it was. It got so frustrating. 

When Wooyoung walks in with breakfast, it's exactly 8:00. 

But instead of walking in with just breakfast, he is also holding something else, which intrigues Yeosang so he walks up to him. Books. Wooyoung sets his food down then hands him a big stack of books. 

"I figured you're extremely bored here, so I got you stuff to read. I don't even know if you read but I got a bunch of random things, magazines, fiction, non fiction" he mumbles and fiddles around with the books. "You don't have to read these if you don't want to, I just-"

"Thank you"

Wooyoung looks up to see him smiling again. He gulps and watches Yeosang marvel at the books. 

"Seriously. Thank you for this" 

He has to look away, Wooyoung can't stand the way Yeosang is looming at him right now. As if he had just took him out and set him free. He wishes he could do that. He doesn't want his gratitude, he of all people deserves it the least. 

Scared his voice will betray him, he simply nods, his eyes tracing the prince's face. They land on his jaw, where a deep bruise is visible. 

Guilt overpowers him again and he can't stop the apology from leaking out. 

"I'm sorry about yesterday, I went too far" he blurts out, pointing at his jaw. 

He wants to smack himself, why did I have to apologise! He closes his eyes tightly then opens them to see Yeosang smiling. Again. 

"It's not you're fault, I also let my anger get ahead of me. Let's not let it happen again" he says with a soft smile. 

Wooyoung would rather have Yeosang beat him up again rather than his undeserving forgiveness. 

He nods the quickly leaves, letting Yeosang alone time with his new books. 

Yeosang stares at the books on his bed. There are seven. He completely forgets about his breakfast when he picks up a random book, reading it immediately. 

To feel excitement after this long has made Yeosang extremely grateful. He didn't even ask for these but Wooyoung gave them. 

Wooyoung allowed him to feel something positive after too long. Maybe because it's been over a month since he's felt excited or amusement, but he feels thankful. Putting away all the horrible thing he's done, this one nice thing he did makes Yeosang forgive him for all of it. He doesn't even know why...

Why?

~

Why...

Why did he give Yeosang books to read? Why? 

Wooyoung bangs his head against the wall in frustration, he regrets it now. Yeosang didn't even ask for the damn books but he had to go all heroic and give him stuff to entertain himself with because 'he figured he was bored' all alone in that room. 

He scoffs. He must be the nicest kidnapper known to man. 

What kind of captive smiles so brightly at the one who's made their life hell? 

His hands ghost over his chest. He doesn't have to feel it to know that his heart is beating wildly. The smile that did this to him. Maybe after seeing it when he gave the watch, he needed to see it again. 

Just to see him smile, instead of frown, he did something n-nice.


	10. IX

"Do you think my mother and sister are in the same situation as me?"

Wooyoung looks up at him after setting down his food, frowning. Yeosang continues. 

"I mean, the reward money is a lot, I'm sure other people have done the same thing as you in order to get it". 

When Wooyoung just shrugs and walks out of the door, he huffs, not knowing why he even bothers trying to have a conversation with him. 

He just wants to know if they're safe. Heck, he's desperate to know if they're alive at least. 

Flashbacks to the day of the ball run through his head. The image of witnessing his father being murdered is still clear in his mind. 

What a cruel world. He thinks, and unavoidable tears roll down his cheeks. He hopes that the rest of his family managed to escape before anyone could get them. 

He hadn't made it. He should have escaped instead of running into the bathroom, foolishly thinking that he wouldn't be found. But he was. At least it was Wooyoung who kidnapped him, who doesn't want him dead, unlike les rois. That doesn't make it any better though. The kingdom is still without a king, and ruthless rebels are still hunting like eagles, searching for the remainder of the Kangs. 

His heart aches for his family, literally. Yeosang clutches his chest and groans, kneeling into the floor. The thing with him is that when he feels an emotion, he feels it intensely, with all his heart. His tears splash onto the floor as he cries, he just wants to leave this prison. He doesn't care anymore if he's in danger out there, he just wants to be free. 

Walking to the door, he pulls on the handle, shaking it vigorously, trying hard to open it. It's obviously locked and Yeosang his his head on the door in defeat, leaning against it. He doesn't know what to do anymore, any hope he had left in his body has gone now. He's been here already for so long, he hasn't seen the outside world in over a month. Being confined in such a small space does something to you. 

Yeosang repeatedly hits his head against the door. Bang. Bang. Bang. He curses at Wooyoung, for finding him and taking his freedom away. He curses at his boss, who is clearly controlling Wooyoung. The nightmare he had a few weeks ago pops up in his head again and he shudders. 

He curses at les rois, for murdering his father and who knows what to his mother and sister. He hits his head again. Bang, cursing at himself, for being so weak, so unable to stand up for himself and actually escape. He hates how he just gave up, what if his mother and sister is in danger, while he's just sitting here doing nothing all day? 

Sighing, he prays that they're alive at least. What he needs to do first is escape. Then he can get his family back. 

The handle is still in his hand and Yeosang doesn't realise that it's turning until the door opens, his leaning position making him fall forward onto whoever opened the door. 

He yelps when a firm grip is placed on his waist, leaving Yeosang to grab onto their shirt. 

Wooyoung looks down at him, confused. Not at the fact that he had been leaning on the door, but the fact that Yeosang's cheeks were tear stained and his eyes glossy. 

Run. Now's your chance, go! Yeosang's mind chants, but somehow he can't seem to move. And when their eyes meet, he also can't stop the stream of tears falling down again. 

He buries his face into Wooyoung's chest, not caring that his tears are most likely making it wet. On instinct, Wooyoung's hands move from the grip on his waist, to around his body, embracing him. 

Wooyoung has absolutely no idea why he does it. 

"Please..." Yeosang cries into his chest, "let me go" 

Wooyoung raises his eyebrows, looking down at his hair. The small boy in his arms is maybe making him feel guilty. 

"You know I can't do that"

The grip on his shirt tightens and Wooyoung gulps. Yeosang looks up but Wooyoung looks away, not having the courage to meet his eyes. 

Yeosang contemplates bargaining with him, preparing to give anything to leave, more money, a house, anything. But he also knows that he is excruciatingly stubborn, and that he is probably acting under orders of his boss, meaning that he'd probably be in life threatening trouble if he let Yeosang escape. He shouldn't even care about that, but somehow he doesn't want Wooyoung to get into trouble. 

Huh. He doesn't want the bad guy to get into trouble. 

Yeosang gives up and releases his grip on Wooyoung's shirt, roughly pushing him and walking away from him. He has been defeated yet again. 

Wooyoung considers picking a fight, maybe a punch or two would stop him even thinking about escaping. But his pitiful expression hinders any thoughts of even laying a finger on the prince. 

Instead, something urges him to cheer him up. Yeosang isn't fun when he's sad, at least if he's angry, Wooyoung could pick a fight or have a good debate. 

Yes. That's why he wants to cheer him up. 

He walks over to Yeosang, who is sitting on his bed, head down, and he takes a seat next to him. 

His hand somehow ends up on his chin, lifting his head up to face him. He cups his cheek, swiping away his tears with his thumb. 

Yeosang's breath hitches, this is too soft. Wooyoung's eyes are unreadable but the thumb stroking his cheek implies that he is trying to comfort him. 

They hold eye contact for a second too long to be considered not staring. The two simultaneously cough and flinch away, shuffling on the bed so that there is a bigger gap between them. 

"Don't cry. You'll be out of here soon enough, as you know, if you try to escape, I'll make sure you spend your life in this room." 

Yeosang must have become immune to his threats, as he doesn't even react. Wooyoung also seems to be tired of his threats, saying them with no emotion. 

Wooyoung clears his throat. 

"I think they'll stop increasing the reward money any time soon, so I'll present you when the time comes."

"Ok"

Wooyoung's head snaps up so fast he's certain he got whiplash. Why is he accepting my words? You're supposed to fight me. We're supposed to fight. 

I'm the bad guy. You fight bad guys. 

His thoughts cloud his head as Yeosang remains apathetic. "If you're done, I'd like to sleep please" he says, looking at his watch. 

Wooyoung just watches Yeosang in shock as he tucks himself into bed, earning an annoyed look from him. "You can go" he says again. 

But for some reason (Wooyoung can't seem to find reasons for a lot of his actions today), he wants to stay a bit longer. 

"Have you read all the books I gave you?" He says, just thinking of anything random to say. 

Yeosang eyes him suspiciously "yes..."  
Wooyoung doesn't expect him to answer but his eyes widen. "All of them? That quick?" 

He rolls his eyes "I have nothing to do all day, obviously I'm going to read them all within a couple of days" 

Wooyoung considers his words for a bit, before opening that stupid mouth of his again. "I will get you more". And with that, he runs out of the room, smacking his forehead, leaving a confused Yeosang staring at him as he closes the door.


	11. X

10 years ago

"Yunho, when can I have a turn! You've been playing with that for ages" Wooyoung whines while Yunho stands up. 

"You can only play with this if you can reach it"

Wooyoung frowns as Yunho lifts the toy as high as he could, he can't even reach it when he tip toes. 

He huffs. "You let hyung play with it, why not me!"

"That's because it's my toy" Hongjoong appears, jumping up to snatch the toy away from Yunho, passing it to a triumphant Wooyoung. "I told you to share it with him Yunho, it's not your toy to keep for yourself anyway"

He pouts "sorry hyung, it's just so tempting to make little Wooyoung try to reach the toy"

Wooyoung glares at him, about to bite back when Hongjoong pulls him away. "Come on, I will play with you, ignore Yunho he's just teasing"

His mood is instantly lifted when they play with their toys again, Yunho eventually walking towards them with puppy eyes, asking to join. Of course they let him and the three boys play happily in Hongjoong's house.

That is, until Hongjoong's mother runs into the room, grabbing the boys and dragging them out of the house. 

Wooyoung is confused, wondering why Hongjoong's mother was crying hysterically and taking them somewhere. Where are his parents?

Hongjoong tries asking his mum what's happening but she just tells him to be quiet. 

Wooyoung sees his parents across the street and he calls for them. The look of horror is evident on their faces when they see him. His mother is crying too. 

Nothing makes sense, why is everyone crying? Wooyoung thinks, but then he sees something that will be embedded in his mind forever. 

A group of hooded men approach his parents, guns raised towards them. Hongjoong's mother drag the little boys away and cover their eyes but he wishes his ears were covered instead. His heart stops beating, pain and sorrow filling his heart instead. 

Wooyoung is crying now, screaming in agony for his parents. His parents who did nothing wrong, they owned a bakery, why were they getting killed? 

His attempts to run to his parents fail when he is pulled back and forced to run the other way. Forced to hide. All three boys are crying now, Yunho sobbing for his parents, who are nowhere to be seen. Hongjoong's mother pulls them into an alleyway, wiping the tears off them. Pain and fear is written all over her face. 

"Boys, you stay right here, I'll be back for you, none of our homes are safe so we mustn't go there, I'm going to go find somewhere we can hide." she embraces all of them, kissing their foreheads and running off. 

None of them would've thought that that was the last time they saw her. 

The three boys end up separated, trying to find new lives and forget their traumatic past. Hongjoong, who was broken-hearted that his mother left them and never came back. Wooyoung never being able to get the sound of that gunshot ever again. And Yunho, who wasn't able to say goodbye to his parents and didn't even remember his last memory with them. 

It was sad that this was how their friendship ended, as they all began new lives. Good ones? Who knows. 

Four years later

Wooyoung, 14 and battle hardened, now lives in his own little place no one knows of. How does he get by you ask? With a skill he's mastered throughout his years of learning to survive on his own. It is safe to say that thieving is his special talent. That, and fighting. 

With a short temper like his own, fighting comes naturally to him. Stealing food and money is his daily life but he loves it. He lives the victory feeling whenever he grabs things, and he seldom gets caught. Even if he does, he was blessed with great running skills. 

It is one momentous occasion where Wooyoung's life really changes, when he spots a tall guy, who's chunky wallet is just so tempting to snatch. 

Wooyoung sneaks closer, calculating which angle is better to take it without getting caught. He decides to do it quickly, since this guy seems like one you don't want to mess with, his wallet looks too inviting for Wooyoung to pass up this opportunity thought. So he goes for it, swiftly grabbing it while walking, without anyone noticing. 

Until a firm grip snatches his wrist. 

Before he can even panic, the wallet is snatched back and a fist is moving towards him. Dodging it, Wooyoung kicks his knees to make him fall, grabbing the wallet again and making a run for it. 

Wooyoung is sweating, too afraid to look back even though he knows the guy is running after him. It's time to put his fighting skills to the test (he'd do anything for money). Wooyoung abruptly stops, catching the guy off guard and making him accidentally bump into his back and fall over. 

Though the guy is all too quick to stand up, grabbing Wooyoung's neck, who starts chocking, trying to pry the iron grip off his neck. His foot lands in between the guy's legs, causing him to scream and let go of him, which gives Wooyoung enough time to land a cracking punch onto his nose. Blood splatters across his face and the ground. 

Any thoughts of this being over is crushed when Wooyoung is thrown onto the floor, held by his shoulders and legs trapped. 

The guy looks over at him "no ones ever been able to steal from me let alone fight with me. How can someone this young be so skilled?"

Wooyoung frowns at the... compliment? And continues struggling against the guy. 

"Tell me, who do you work for?" He says, eyes demanding. 

"No one?"

"Lies!" He shouts, making Wooyoung flinch. "Who trained you? Who do you work for!"

"No one! I learnt this myself"

This causes him to look confused, letting go of Wooyoung, who immediately stands up. 

"What impeccable skill..." He looks like he's debating something in his head with his eyebrows furrowed like that. "work for me." He demands and Wooyoung is ready to refuse, to claim is a lone wolf who works for no one. 

"I can make you rich" 

This makes him look up, now he is interested.

~

One year later

Through his boss's training, Wooyoung is now unstoppable, an unbreakable rock, both in his emotions and in his physical skills. He learns incredibly fast since he is a natural. 

He is sent out on many missions by his boss, all of them apparently for the cause of getting more money and living more comfortably. He doesn't complain though, his boss is rich, all of it dirty money though. It is Wooyoung's job to get the money, and he always succeeds his missions. 

Apart from one day, he fails. 

A famous gang leader was in their area and it is Wooyoung's job to steal the key he always carries with him. All he was told by his boss was that it has the answer to all their problems, an enormous amount of money he could only dream of. 

This is a crucial mission. He thinks, determined to succeed, his winning streak was not going to end here. 

Until he spots the man, in an office. Wooyoung looks through the window then looks for a way inside the building. Once he sneaks through the back door, he makes his way towards the room. 

His heart leaps to his throat when he sees Hongjoong and Yunho together, both trying to find a way in too. 

Wooyoung's chest tightens as his forgotten friends bring back the horrid memories of his past, the reason he is like this today. But why are they together? I thought all three of us split up...

He can't help the twinge of jealousy and betrayal he feels looking at the two simultaneously tip toeing closer to the man who has what Wooyoung wants. They must have the same mission too. 

He can't help but want to see the two in action so he just stays still, watching them count down and break open the door. 

Instant chaos ensues as hench gang members flood out of the room, all starting to fight with Hongjoong and Yunho. He'd be lying if he said he isn't impressed with how they fought. 

Despite their young ages, the two fight impeccably. Hongjoong lunges at a guy, jaw cracking, and Yunho doesn't hesitate to snap the head of another guy. They all do this without hesitation. 

The battle seems to be going well for them until Hongjoong is stabbed on the leg, his cry of pain causing both Wooyoung and Yunho to quickly turn to him. 

Yunho takes less than a second to run to him and hold him, checking if he's ok. This is why you work alone. Wooyoung tuts, because while the two are off guard, the big men take over and brutally beat the two up, making Wooyoung wince. 

And when they are held at gunpoint, Wooyoung doesn't know why he does it but he runs towards them anyway. 

Looking at small 15 year old Wooyoung, no one would've thought that could instantly and successfully attack a group of men twice his size. He jumps and kicks a guy, making him fall onto another. And while he's there, he punches the leader in the nose, making him fall unconscious and manages to take the key off of him. 

The secret to all of his successes is speed. Wooyoung is very fast, it's a huge strength of his, which is why he's able to fight such a large group of men and grab the key. 

Once they are taken care of, he quickly runs to his old friends who both are looking at him with their jaws hanging wide open. Yunho his all bloodied but he still tends to Hongjoong's injured leg. 

"Long time no see" Wooyoung greets them with a smile. 

Hongjoong nods, "we've missed you Wooyoung, I wondered what you're up to but I guess you're not far off from us" 

"You've grown a lot, you looked really cool just now" Yunho says, flashing a warm smile. He looks the same as before. 

Wooyoung thanks him and Hongjoong cries out in pain, making Yunho quickly try and soothe his wound. The two are holding hands, Yunho's thumb brushes over his hand in a soothing motion. 

"You need to go to the hospital asap, that stab wound is quite serious"Wooyoung says but Hongjoong just shakes his head. "We can afford the bills, we've got a kit at home, I'll just put a bandage on it" he assures him. 

The pain in his eyes makes it all too clear that he needs treatment now. An Wooyoung doesn't know what possesses him to do this, but he gives the key to the two. 

"Here, I don't need this as much as you do right now." 

Hongjoong of course, refuses immediately but no one is as stubborn as Wooyoung. 

"This is not up for discussion. You WILL take this key. If you don't, I'm going to just leave the key on the floor for anyone to take."

And he proves his point but throwing it on the floor and walking out the room. 

"Wait!" 

His heart aches in a good way when he sees the relief flowing over both of them and it almost feels good to be the good guy here. He has helped their lives immensely. 

He walks back into the room and they are smiling fondly at him. "Thank you Wooyoung, I don't know how to pay you back for this." 

Shaking his head, he rejects any payback. "Just take care of yourselves, it was nice seeing you two. I hope we meet again, in a different situation" Wooyoung quickly leaves, finding that goodbye a bit weird, too formal. 

Meeting them was strange aswell, he doesn't know if if there is anything between them but when he took only last look at them before leaving, Yunho was cupping both of his hands on Hongjoong's cheeks, their foreheads resting against each other. He doesn't want to assume anything but it seemed intimate. 

That isn't his problem now anyway. How is he supposed to go back to his boss who is expecting an incredibly important item? You'd think that for his first failed mission he'd be let off, in his dreams. That was the first time he ever felt real fear of his boss. 

5 years later 

Wooyoung, now at his prime age of 20, has plenty of experience in all fields, thieving, breaking in, fighting, anything you can think of. 

Except for kidnapping. 

So when he proposed his brilliant plan to get millions from the royal family to his boss. He doesn't expect to be in the ballroom in disguise, looking for a royal to take. Not only that, he has to take care of them too. 

This is going to be a challenge.


	12. XI

Boredom was something Yeosang didn't mind, he'd usually just let his mind wander, daydreaming is a master skill of his. 

But now, he is too afraid to let his mind wander. It would usually go dangerous places, dark thoughts would intoxicate his mind. It was almost as bad as falling asleep, like having nightmares during the day. 

He constantly worries for his family, flashbacks of his father make him want to bang his head against the wall. 

He finished all the books Wooyoung gave him within a few days, he even reread some. And like every day, Yeosang is stuck on what to do. 

Wooyoung is less talkative, for the past week he's been going in and out only to give meals wordlessly, which doesn't help Yeosang, who is dying from the lack of socialisation. It is like being stuck on a remote island without any civilisation. 

Maybe Wooyoung is tired of fighting him. It does seem like every time they converse, they end up fighting, verbally and/or physically. 

Except the rare occasions. 

The ones where he almost seems like he's not an asshole. When he looks at Yeosang gently it almost makes his heart flutter. Almost. 

The times when Yeosang thinks that it's worthwhile being kidnapped, otherwise he would not have seen Wooyoung's attractive face. 

Stop. Stop. Yeosang shakes his head, smacking his forehead. He let his mind wander into dangerous places, like that deadly jawline. Another smack. It's happening again. 

He fans himself. Despite it being late autumn, Yeosang feels hot for some reason, he never used to think so recklessly but recently he keeps slipping. It's good Wooyoung is barely even interacting with him, his thoughts need to be disposed of. 

I'm only acting like this because Wooyoung is the only person I've been interacting with the past few months. I'm starved of other human interaction. 

Yes. That's why. Yeosang nods, satisfied with his excus- his valid reason. 

His stomach growling interrupts his thoughts and Yeosang checks the time. 10:00. Wooyoung should have been here hours ago, how is he going to feed himself. 

Yeosang groans, holding his stomach, his hunger feeling very intense. Maybe if I bang on the door he will come. 

He strolls to the locked door and hits it. Bang. One more. Bang. "Hello? Is anyone there?" No response. He tries again. Bang. Bang. "I'm not trying to escape, I'm just hungry!"

Yeosang frowns. There is no sign of anyone coming. What if everyone left? Have I been left here to die alone...

When you've been stuck in a room for months, catastrophic thinking becomes an unavoidable skill you develop. 

With his mind racing and his clenching stomach, Yeosang starts to feel dizzy. His heart rate begins to quicken and his breaths come out in short pants. The tears are inevitable when his chest constricts tightly, making him wince in pain with every heart beat. 

One hand clutches his chest and the other grabs the door handle to pull himself off the ground. He doesn't even remember falling. 

Bang. With all the energy left in him, he punches the door, trying to break it open. He doesn't want to be left here alone. 

Bang. His knuckles are grazed now. Bang. Now they have open cuts. Bang. They drop blood onto the concrete floor. 

It gets harder to breathe and he tries with all his might to take deeper breaths, but they only come out short and quick. 

He is hitting the door uncontrollably now, even if they are weak. Maybe it'll carve a hole or something. 

He doesn't expect the door to open though. 

He looks up to see Wooyoung. Except it isn't Wooyoung. 

The furious face of Wooyoung's boss looks down at him. "Why are you making such a ruckus". 

The terrifying thing is that he doesn't shout. Yeosang would've given anything for him to just shout at him. But no, he whispers it, sounding close to a growl, daring him to make one more sound. 

He can't help the whimper that slips out of him when he takes a step closer toward him. 

Taking a step back wouldn't do any good to Yeosang as the man grabs his collar, choking him. 

He is way to weak to even think about defending himself so he just tries to put up with it the best he could. 

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again" Yeosang begs for this to stop, his body is in the verge of shutting down. 

"That's right. You better take this as a warning to keep that fucking mouth of yours shut" 

He throws Yeosang backwards, making him hit the wall and fall down. He towers over him and steps on his stomach, not forgetting to push hard on it, earning a scream of pain from the boy on the floor. 

When the door slams shut, Yeosang is still on the floor, unable to move. He doesn't know if he's felt this much pain in his life. 

Flinching at the pain, he manages to sit up. That's the most he could do now. All his energy was sucked out of him within a few minutes. 

All he can do now is wait, hungry and beaten, for the right person to come.


	13. XII

☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆  
This is a double update so please read the previous chapter if you haven’t or you may get confused!   
☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

Wooyoung squints, the ray of light blinding his sleepy eyes. He frowns now, it isn't usually this bright so early in the morning. 

Rolling over to check his phone, he sits up so quickly his back cracks. 10:30. Wooyoung's eyes widen as he yells. He overslept big time.

Tossing the covers off himself, he runs to brush his teeth and wash his face, then grab breakfast for Yeosang. Within five minutes he is running down the stairs, key struggling to enter the lock. He could've taken time to eat breakfast himself or even freshen up, but for some reason, he puts Yeosang's needs before his own. 

Quickly opening the door, he immediately starts apologising "I know I'm late, sor-"

The sight he sees next makes him almost drop everything in his hands. 

Yeosang is sat against the wall, chuckling soullessly. "Oh you're here?" His eyes are closed and his face is emotionless. 

Judging by his rough and beaten appearance, it seems like his boss got to Yeosang before him. But why did he get beat up? Wooyoung wonders. But that's not the problem now. 

He hurriedly places the food down and runs out of the room. Yeosang stares at the once again empty room. "Great. I'm alone again" he sighs. 

But barely a minute passes when Wooyoung runs back in with a first aid kit. He kneels next to him and grabs his bloodied hand. 

"Did he do this to you" he asks, looking at the cut skin. 

"No, I did this to myself". Wooyoung raises his eyebrows in confusion. 

"I was banging on the door and hurt my hand." He stops there, Wooyoung doesn't need to know the reason why he was banging the door. "Then your boss came in and... I think you know what came next" he says, tilting his head to show bruises in the shape of fingertips on his neck. 

Fuck. Those look like they hurt.

Wooyoung doesn't know why but he feels guilty, as if this was all his fault. It definitely wouldn't have happened if he had come on time. 

He grabs some medicine from the box and takes Yeosang's hand gently, applying it on his knuckles. 

Yeosang winces and tries pulling his hand away but Wooyoung holds it tighter. Their eyes meet. 

"Don't move your hand, I'm trying to treat it for fucks sake". 

He wants to complain but he has no energy at all, so he sits there silently, watching Wooyoung meticulously apply medicine on him. He looks so gentle, Yeosang almost forgets every fight they had all because of this one thing he's doing for him. He almost forgets he's the bad guy. 

Yeosang's stomach rumbles loudly and Wooyoung looks up at him, making his cheeks go red in embarrassment. 

"I forgot, you haven't eaten yet. Eat first then I'll finish up helping you."

He hands his food to him and Yeosang nearly cries out in relief. He tries so hard not to shove everything down in one bite, Wooyoung is watching him. He doesn't even know why he cares about that, he's just so hungry he's not thinking straight. 

"You can go you know, you don't have to help me". Yeosang feels uncomfortable eating with him just next to him, the silence isn't awkward, it just feels a bit uneasy. 

Wooyoung scoffs. "I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart. How am I supposed to hand you over all battered and bruised, it'll obviously look like I did that, you have to be in a good condition so stop being annoying and getting yourself beat. I'm not going to help you next time, you're just going to have to deal with the pain for longer."

Yeosang scowls at him, feeling foolish for thinking that Wooyoung was being nice for once. He should get a hold of his emotions, they keep wavering nowadays. 

He finishes his food and gulps down the water, Wooyoung wordlessly puts it to the side then holds out a hand to him. Yeosang gives him a confused look, making the other roll his eyes. 

"Now that you have a bit more energy, go on the bed, take a rest. Gosh my legs hurt from squatting". He says, waving his hand around so Yeosang can grab it.

"Is there anywhere else you're hurt or needs healing?" Yeosang mind flashes back to when his stomach was stepped on. He shakes his head. "No"

Wooyoung eyes him suspiciously, how could he have a fight with his boss and only end up with grazed knuckles and a neck bruise? 

Yeosang doesn't want to bother him anymore, and he honestly just wants to be alone, he doesn't want Wooyoung's forced help and pity. He figures he has enough energy now to move so he just grabs his hand and lets himself be pulled up, hoping Wooyoung will leave him alone now. But upon standing up, too much work is put on his stomach, making Yeosang wince loudly then fall onto the bed, hugging his stomach. 

Wooyoung is surprised. Why did he suddenly fall, is he hurting somewhere else? He sees Yeosang's arms covering his stomach and he immediately shoves them away and lifts his shirt. 

Right there, on the exposed skin, is a huge bruise. It looks bad, especially to someone who has seen bruises most of his life. He knows what kind of force it takes to cause such a bad one like that. 

"Why didn't you tell me you have a bruise there? I specifically asked you if anything else needed healing, why didn't you mention this!" He doesn't know why he shouts but he instantly regrets it when Yeosang flinches at his loud voice. 

He groans loudly. This is not the problem now, at least he knows now that he's got a bad bruise. Walking away, Wooyoung slams the door open and leaves, not even bothering to shut it. 

What is he doing? Yeosang stares at the open door. He could escape if he wants to, if only he had enough energy to run out. It doesn't even matter anyway because Wooyoung is back within the minute he left. 

As he walks back inside, Yeosang can see that he has ice, wrapped in a cloth in his hand. 

He gestures for him to lie down so Yeosang just follows his orders, not wanting to fight. He is too mentally exhausted to fight. 

Yeosang doesn't take his eyes off of Wooyoung and watches his every move. Especially when he lifts his shirt, enough so the bruise is exposed. 

Wooyoung is staring at it, seemingly deep in thought, and after a full 30 seconds of him staring at his stomach, Yeosang feels uncomfortable so he taps his shoulder. Wooyoung shakes his head, as if he zoned out and is trying to go back into reality. 

"This might be a bit cold" He says, giving the bruise one last look before placing the iced cloth down on it, very slowly.

Yeosang takes in a sharp breath, it actually is really cold. 

Wooyoung is holding onto the tied cloth, looking at the others pinched eyebrows. Of course this is when he's looking away, so the second Yeosang looks at him, Wooyoung looks away. 

He clears his throat and lets go of the ice cloth, standing up. "I'll be going now-"

"Wait"

Yeosang is sitting up slightly, elbows propping him up as he looks at Wooyoung. 

"Why? Does anything else hurt?" 

He watches Wooyoung's eyes trace over his face, searching for anything that would hurt. 

His eyes land on his lips. 

He slowly starts taking steps towards him until he's right in front of Yeosang, and reaches his hand out to cup his face. 

The eye contact they hold is intense as Yeosang's eyes never leave Wooyoung's as he drags his thumb across his lower lip. 

His thumb stops and presses on a cut, gently so it wouldn't hurt. "What about this, doesn't it hurt?" Wooyoung still doesn't break his gaze, licking his lips unconsciously. 

Yeosang doesn't know how to form words so he just shakes his head softly so that Wooyoung's hand doesn't move out of its place. 

"Hm" He nods. "I think we should treat it." He says, not moving an inch. 

Wooyoung is certain Yeosang can hear his screaming heart.

"H-how?" Yeosang is certain Wooyoung can hear his screaming heart.

Both are silent and unmoving, just taking in each other's presence, the only this that move are their eyes, tracing over the others features, both not realising that the other is doing the same to them. Yeosang breaks the silence first. 

"Wooyoung?" 

He isn't sure if he said it as a question or just to get his attention but his eyes widen, as if realising what he's doing. Wooyoung removes his hand from Yeosang's cheek and takes a step back.

The way Yeosang said his name made him feel something. He isn't sure what, but his mind is in a normal right now so his ability to form coherent words or thoughts is weak. Just hearing his deep voice saying his name made him feel weak. It is his first time hearing it from Yeosang. 

"N-nothing" he says, quickly turning around and practically running for the door and leaving the room, leaving a flustered Yeosang on the bed. He shakes his head, lightly smacking himself. No, I shouldn't be thinking like this, why are your cheeks so hot...

When Wooyoung locks the door, he shakes his head, lightly smacking himself. 

I shouldn't be thinking this way, keep your hands to yourself. He silently scolds himself.


	14. XIII

Wooyoung needs a break. Who knew taking care of a grown guy would be this exhausting. He gets up from his desk in his room and heads to the bathroom and into the shower.

He can just feel his stress diffuse out of him as the warm water splashes against his skin, his muscles relaxing. His eyes are closed, just taking in the water, no thoughts, no movement. 

That is, until two arms wrap around his waist from behind him. 

Wooyoung's head snaps back to see Yeosang resting his chin on his shoulder. "W-what are you doing?" 

"Taking a shower, it's Tuesday" he says, unbothered. 

Their bodies are flush against each other's and suddenly the room gets hotter for Wooyoung. Especially when Yeosang's nose trails down his neck to his shoulder, placing a kiss on it. 

He tries prying Yeosang's grip off his waist and walk away from him, but the other just pulls him back against him again, their wet skin slapping against each other. 

"Wooyoung..." Yeosang's deep voice whispers into his ear, making him unintentionally moan. It's was soft, but not unnoticed by Yeosang.

He must have liked hearing his moan, because he catches Wooyoung's earlobe between his teeth and nibbles at it, causing more of those sweet sounds to come out of him. 

Yeosang's hands roam his stomach, going dangerously low, making Wooyoung's breath hitch.

"Yeosang..." he grabs his hands to stop him but lets go straight away, letting his hands explore. 

"Why? Do you want me to stop?" He is stroking his inner thigh, those simple touches surging intense amounts of pleasure through his body. Wooyoung can't keep his eyes open. 

"No" he manages to breathe out. His head is leaning back on Yeosang's shoulder, leaving his neck exposed for him, and Yeosang can't help but kiss it, tongue trailing the length of his neck. He hears Wooyoung's breaths get heavier, and it doesn't help when Yeosang grabs his member. 

He is already half hard and it only takes a few pumps to get him fully aroused, pre cum leaking onto his hand. Yeosang presses his thumb on his tip, and at the same time he bites his neck, then sucks on it, soothing it with his tongue. Wooyoung lets out his loudest moan yet. 

His teeth felt so good on his neck, he never knew they were so sharp. 

As Yeosang pumps faster, Wooyoung's breaths quicken into pants and he pushes his head further into Yeosang's shoulder, kissing his neck now that he has a good reach of it. In an embarrassingly short amount of time, Wooyoung is already gasping loudly, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he is about to cum. 

...

Wooyoung sits up from his bed in a cold sweat, looking around the room. He is in his bedroom. Realising what just happened, he looks down at the bulge in his pants and squeezes his eyes shut, flopping down onto the bed again. 

He smacks his cheeks. Bad. Bad. Bad. His face stings now. Why would you dream something so dirty! He smacks his forehead, forever being in shock of his dream. 

It's way too hot in his room so he shoves the duvet off of him, which makes the bulge in his pants even more visible. He glares at it. How will he face Yeosang now? It's not like he saw the dream too... Wooyoung grimaces as he gets up and heads for the shower, his problem has to be taken care of somehow. 

~

After freshening himself up, Wooyoung walks into Yeosang's room and the prince immediately snaps his head up to look at him, eyebrows pinched in confusion. 

Why... He thinks, is he looking at me like that? Making him panic a little. 

Wooyoung feels like he has a screen above his head, replaying that dream for everyone to see. He feels like he has 'I had a wet dream about you' written all over his body, and Yeosang's stares don't help him reduce his panic and shame.

"You're early" he states, glancing at the watch on his wrist. 

He knows. Wooyoung isn't just early, he's a whole two hours early. He was hoping to just give Yeosang's food while he's asleep and leave unnoticed, but clearly that plan failed. 

"I just woke up early" he gulps, remembering what woke him up. He still feels ashamed of his dream and he doesn't want to look at Yeosang anymore so he quickly walks away, heading to the door but a hand grabs his arm. Wooyoung has to suppress a shiver at his touch. 

"Are you avoiding me?" Yeosang frowns. He doesn't know why Wooyoung would avoid him, but judging by the fact that he can't even hold eye contact with him proves that Wooyoung is avoiding him one way or the other.

"I just wanted to thank you for yesterday, I didn't get to say it before you left. I healed very quickly thanks to you."

Wooyoung's heart thumps against his chest. Yeosang speaks too softly for them to be enemies, and the gentle look in his eyes make it harder for him to keep hating him. 

But they are just enemies. They can't be anything other than that. Ever. Which is why Wooyoung shoves Yeosang's hand away from his arm. 

"I didn't do it for you. I did it so I don't get in trouble. Stop being a nuisance and just sit still, why do you keep getting yourself beat up." He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel a bit guilty saying that, but he has no other choice. His mind keeps wavering these days, making him become lenient on the prince. He just wants to quickly leave the room but Yeosang looks angry now. 

"Sit still?" Wooyoung's comment really ticks him off. 

"How the fuck am I supposed to sit still when I can't leave the fucking room?" He points at the room. Wooyoung raises his eyebrows at Yeosang's language. "It seems like you are really underestimating my patience with you and your insensitive comments. Don't fucking tell me to sit still, I'm going to keep resisting against you until you let me out. Asshole." Wooyoung didn't notice that Yeosang was walking towards him as he spoke and he only realises when Yeosang is practically chest to chest with him, glaring with his intimidating eyes. It makes Wooyoung panic a little, hoping Yeosang can't feel his racing heart. 

He shoves him away, making the other stumble a bit. "Whatever. Just stop giving me more work to do, you're already a whiny little bitch always asking for things." And before Yeosang can retaliate, Wooyoung runs off, slamming the door. 

Once he's in his room, Wooyoung takes a deep breath of relief. You did well, Yeosang hates you even more now. He thinks to himself and squeezes his eyes shut. Now you can stop having weird dreams, you're enemies, nothing more. You can't ever be anything more.


	15. XIV

Not even an hour later, Wooyoung is back into Yeosang's room. 

He goes to take his plate but sees that it's still untouched. Wooyoung frowns. 

"Why haven't you eaten anything?" He says but just gets a shrug in return. 

"Didn't feel like it" he says after a while, making Wooyoung extremely annoyed. 

"Don't you remember the last time you didn't eat anything? You couldn't even move, I told you to stop being a fucking nuisance. Eat your damn food, this isn't a choice. Stop acting like you own this place, you don't have a choice in anything here." He doesn't know why he's being so pissy today but he needs someone to throw his anger on. Yeosang is apparently the chosen one here. As usual. 

Yeosang considers his words for minute then nods, making Wooyoung think his nagging succeeded. Until he opens his mouth. 

"I'll eat it on one condition." 

Wooyoung scoffs. Is he being serious? "I just said you don't have a choice. Wha-"

"I'll eat it if you go look for my mother and sister." 

He raises his eyebrows in annoyance because 1) he cut him off and 2) he's confused as to why Yeosang thinks he is his servant, waiting for him to be given tasks. 

"What makes you think I'm going to waste my time and energy on most likely dead people. Oh and also I don't give a fuck about your family."

Yeosang scowls. They aren't dead. I'm sure of it. Wooyoung wouldn't listen to him. "Fine. I'm not eating then." He crosses his arms and Wooyoung snickers. 

"You're going on a hunger strike?" He lets out a loud laugh. "You wouldn't survive a few hours before you come crying for food" he laughs even more at Yeosang's serious face. 

"I'm being serious. I'm not going to eat until you say you're going to look for my family." His eyes throwing daggers at him. "Might as well have more royals to give back and get more money". 

Wooyoung squints his eyes "I don't know what you're scheming but I'm net falling for it. I'm not some fucking servant you can order around. Now we'll see if I give you any food again since you're so desperate to die of hunger"

"You need me alive, you would not let me die"

Wooyoung scoffs. "Well having you dead right now is becoming more appealing to me now more than keeping you alive. Stop being a pain in the ass and eat". 

When Yeosang doesn't budge, he's had enough. He leaves the plate with Yeosang and heads out of the room-

"Wait!"

Yeosang began to panic. His plan had obviously failed so he needed another method to convince the most stubborn person alive. 

Would he have to resort to a physical fight? Does he start crying and hope Wooyoung agrees out of pity? Does he seduce him...

He rushes over to him and grabs his shirt, pulling him closer, but Wooyoung immediately pushes him off, "What the fuck are you do-"

"Please" He begs, grabbing his shirt again. If Wooyoung is going to be stubborn, he will be stubborn too. Two can play at that game. 

"I will do anything you want, please please just try and look for them. Just for an hour. I know they're alive." 

Wooyoung scowls at him. "As if I'd ever do that" he says, ripping off Yeosang's grip on his shirt and opens the door. 

But before he can leave, Yeosang slams it shut, blocking the door with his body. "I'm not letting you leave until you do this for me."

The scowl never leaves his face, his face will probably end up like that permanently because of him. 

"Please I'm begging you. This is the last time I'll ask something of you. Please"

He looks at the helpless prince and rolls his eyes. I give him something once when he asks for it and now he thinks he can order me around and act all pitiful. 

"Wooyoung."

He looks up sharply. His name is whispered so quietly he doesn't even know if he was supposed to hear that or not. Yeosang bites his bottom lip, eyes wide and round looking at him. Wooyoung gulps, because he considers giving in for a split second. 

"Wooyoung."

He says it again louder this time, but still as soft. Wooyoung shivers. Something about his name being called like that messes with his head. 

Something about his deep voice sounding so soft and innocent. His voice when saying his name. Wooyoung doesn't know what possesses him but he takes a shaky breath before speaking. 

"Ok. I'll go for fucks sake" he spoke quietly but it's clear by Yeosang's sigh of relief that he heard what he said. 

He goes from leaning on the door to dragging himself down on the floor, burying his head in his knees, muttering a soft thank you. 

Wooyoung stares at him for a full minute before he tells him to get up. "I need you to move away from the door so I can go, can't I?" 

Yeosang immediately stands up, looking at him, holding eye contact, something Wooyoung can never do with him so he is the one to break it. 

When he looks away, Yeosang's glassy eyes find his again, moving his head to make eye contact again. Why does he keep doing that... Wooyoung thinks. He'd be lying if he said he isn't intimidated by his stares. 

"Can I... come with you?" 

Yeosang is biting his lip again, eyes searching for an answer. But Wooyoung furrows his eyebrows. 

"No. That is something not negotiable" he hates the way his voice became hoarse, as if he had just woken up. 

"Why"

"Because!" He snaps, making Yeosang frown. Wooyoung wants to slap himself for feeling guilty for raising his voice. "Because not only the fact that it's easy for you to escape, you're in a lot of danger out there. Who knows in one second you'll be shot in the back. I don't want to risk my life either."

Yeosang nods but is pouting. He fiddles with his fingers, looking down. "Thank you" 

Wooyoung doesn't say anything back, he just leaves the room, slamming the door shut, not knowing why he does it. 

He doesn't know why he goes outside looking for Yeosang's family. He could have easily agreed and pretended to look, then declare that he couldn't find them. 

He doesn't know why he gives in to Yeosang. 

He doesn't know a lot of things right now. 

But time will help him figure out.


	16. XV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE!   
> Please read the previous one if you haven’t already, so you don’t get confused thank you :) <3

/‘I tried looking for them everywhere... I couldn't find them, and I know every hidden place in this kingdom’/

Wooyoung's words ring in his head repeatedly, It's really over for him. He has no reason to live now, his whole family is gone. 

Yeosang's heart cracked when Wooyoung told him he couldn't find them, he almost broke into tears there and then. But he waited for the other to leave before he sobbed the rest of the day, crying himself to sleep. 

Even now when he wakes up, his thoughts still clouded over his head, haunting him with the fact that his family is gone. That tiny ounce of hope he has that they are still alive is gone. He really believed Wooyoung would be able to find them, he had failed him. So what? He thinks. Its not like Wooyoung even cares about me, he probably walked a mile the gave up. He probably didn't even look at all. 

It makes sense that Wooyoung would just pretend to look since Yeosang wasn't there with him. But his expression when he broke the news that he couldn't find them seemed genuine. Yeosang doesn't know if he is an amazing actor but he would have believed him if it was anyone else. He doesn't trust what Wooyoung says. 

Despite not believing Wooyoung, he still feels helpless, his whole life is ruined, who cares if he died now, he didn't care anymore. Everyone he loves is gone, he might aswell go too. 

Tears roll down his face as he stands up. He's never felt this defeated in his life, he's never felt negative emotions block out any other feeling and control his mind and actions like a spell. 

He walks to the door, dragging his feet, to drained to walk properly. Both his hands are clenched tight in a fist. 

When he reaches the door, he doesn't hesitate for even a second before slamming his fist onto it, making a loud noise. He doesn't know what makes him do it, but being confined in a tiny room for months without a doubt made him mentally unstable. 

He doesn't even think about the consequences. He doesn't care. Which is why he slams his fist onto the door once again, and again, repeatedly until his knuckles bleed. 

He's not crying anymore but his tears are drying in his face, he doesn't bother to wipe them. His hands are too occupied with hitting the door. 

He doesn't know why he's doing it, does he want someone to come? No, not after he got beat up for making a ruckus with hitting the door. He still doesn't know why he's doing it though. 

After a full 3 minutes of emotionlessly punching the door, it is swung open so quickly that Yeosang didn't even realise he was leaning on it until he falls into whoever opened the door. 

He doesn't look up at who is in front of him, too afraid that it would be Wooyoung's boss again, not ready for an attack. 

But when strong hands push him backwards and shuts the door, he immediately recognises the firm grip on his arms. Yeosang looks up fearfully at Wooyoung, who has anger written all over his face. 

"Don't you fucking remember what happened last time you kept banging on the door? Are you looking to get beat again?" He shouts at Yeosang while shaking him. Wooyoung can not understand why he kept on doing things that would get him hurt. 

"Sorry..." Yeosang looks like he's about to cry, which makes Wooyoung uneasy, he doesn't know how to handle crying people, apart from attacking them, Yeosang doesn't need that right now. 

Even with his head hung low, Wooyoung can see the pout on his lips, and it somehow makes his insides churn. 

"I don't know why I did it... I really don't" Yeosang says as his lips tremble, Wooyoung thanks the heavens that he doesn't look up because if he did, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from kissing him. 

His eyes widen. I did not just think that. Wooyoung has to physically restrain himself from slapping his own face, Yeosang would think he's crazy otherwise. He probably still thinks he's crazy anyway. You know, kidnapper and everything. 

Everything in this moment, him holding Yeosang's shoulders to the frown on both their faces. Something about it makes it soft. As if the two have a pink aura around them or something. 

"I know it might be hard, but you need to stop doing things like this" Wooyoung's sudden change from an angry tone to a soft one surprises Yeosang, and it makes him look up at him in confusion. 

"Why are you telling me this?" His voice is hoarse as if he just woke up. 

Wooyoung gulps. "I- I don't want you to get hurt again". 

...

Yeosang doesn't know if his heart drops or flutters hearing those words, but it does make him widen his eyes in surprise, looking at Wooyoung for the first time since he came. 

It didn't help that Wooyoung us biting his bottom lip, making his heart definitely flutter this time. And despite his face displaying complete regret at his own words, Yeosang can't help but think that his words were sweet. 

And there it is. 

The brief thought that passes through Yeosang's head like the wind. The thought of what Wooyoung's lips feels like against his own. What they taste like.

Unfortunately, within a blink, it's gone and Yeosang widens his eyes and takes a step away from him, ashamed of his scandalous thoughts. 

Wooyoung's hands fall at his sides as Yeosang walk away from him. 

Yeosang's reaction startles him, not knowing the true reason why he was moving away in horror. 

"I- I didn't mean it like that! I meant like it's a pain to fix you up you know? That's why I don't want you too get hurt ..." he scratches the back of his head, cursing at himself for stuttering like a child. 

Yeosang just nods and sits on his bed, not even looking at him. Wooyoung doesn't look at the other either as he runs out of the room like a coward. 

Neither knew about the sweeping moment the other had. The same thought by both of them. Of how it feels having their lips move against each other's, wondering if they slotted perfectly like in the movies.


	17. XVI

Yeosang notes to himself that Wooyoung is a little later than usual today. He's been waiting for a good half an hour, just sitting on his bed and trying not to panic. 

But as soon as the door opens, he knows exactly why he was late. Wooyoung walks in holding his food, his whole attire a mess. One of his eyes are bruised and he has a swollen lip covered in dried blood. 

He didn't even spare Yeosang a glance as he hands him the food and silently walk away. But before he can leave, Yeosang quickly puts his food away and runs after him, grabbing his arm to turn him around to face him. 

Wooyoung winces at the pull on his arm so Yeosang quickly lets go of it.

He stares at him but Wooyoung doesn't meet his eyes. He traces his face, frowning at the mess. There's only one person who could have done this, and it makes his heart wrench in pity for Wooyoung. 

"What happened..." Yeosang just mutters to himself but Wooyoung looks up at him anyway. 

"I uh- got in an argument with my boss, it's not a big deal" he shrugs. 

"It looks like a big deal to me" Yeosang says, making the other scoff. 

"I don't know why you're even acting like you care" 

When Wooyoung starts to walk away, Yeosang's mind can't help but think back to all the kind things he had done for him, giving him books, healing him, even though he's supposed to be a bad guy. 

So he doesn't know why he helps the bad guy. 

Before he can reach for the doorknob, Yeosang quickly runs to him and holds his wrist, making Wooyoung turn back in confusion. The frown doesn't leave his face when he is pulled away from the door. Yeosang grabs his shoulders and makes him sit on the bed. 

Wooyoung looks down at Yeosang, who is kneeling on the floor in front of him, looking confused when he ducks down to reach under the bed. 

A first aid kit is pulled out. "You left this when you helped me last time... I thought I could help you this time" 

Wooyoung grimaces. "I don't need your h-"

He stops when he realises that Yeosang isn't even listening to him and carries on pouring medicine on a cloth, and with a sigh, he just sits still, letting him do whatever he wants. 

He doesn't expect is face to be pulled forward with one of Yeosang's hands cupping his cheek and the other wiping at the blood on his lip. 

Wooyoung doesn't even notice the stinging, he's too busy looking at Yeosang who, lucky for him, is too busy helping him to notice him staring. 

His touch was too gentle, Wooyoung does not like it. Yeosang is touching him as if he will break like glass, he is not fragile. And Yeosang knows that. So why is he suddenly acting all soft?

His tongue is poking out due to his concentration, and Wooyoung can't help but wonder what it tastes like, or feels like, curling around his own. 

The hand on his cheek shifts back a bit, and Wooyoung, again, can't help his imagination going wild. The thought of having that hand move further back and run through his hair made his heart race. He has to suppress a shiver before Yeosang gets suspicious. 

But there's no way to stop his thoughts. The thoughts of his hand pulling his hair, of his tongue licking his own, his sharp teeth leaving marks anywhere he wants. 

Wooyoung blinks rapidly, trying to get rid of his dirty thoughts. Yeosang is right in front of him, now is a dangerous time to be acting like this. No one knows when his imagination will make it a reality. 

He thinks about ripping off Yeosang's gentle hold on his cheek and roughly grabbing his face instead, slamming their lips together, finally being able to kiss him.

But then he remembers his bruised lip from when his boss had punched him earlier in the day. Right, it would hurt to do it now... maybe next time. 

His eyes widen. Next time? He clearly isn't thinking straight. What ever he is imagining can not and will not ever happen. Too many consequences, also very morally wrong. Why would a bad guy kiss the innocent one? 

No no never going to happen. Wooyoung nods, finalising his thoughts. 

Yeosang looks at him in confusion, having seen him widen his eyes then start nodding. Is he okay? He thinks. How much did his boss beat him for him to be acting this weirdly?

Yeosang's heart twists in pity. Wooyoung doesn't suit the best up look.

He sighs then stands up. "Ok, I'm done, just put an ice pack to your eye and it should heal in no time" 

Wooyoung looks up at him. It's already over? 

Yeosang turns around, not wanting to look at him, he wishes he didn't rush so much. I'm already done, he's going to leave already...   
He doesn't want to admit that his company had grown on him to the extent of him dreading the moment he has to go again. 

It's only because you don't want to be alone Yeosang. If it was anyone else you would have felt the same. Right. You just don't like being by yourself. He nods to himself and turns back around to face Wooyoung. 

As he turns, Wooyoung also gets up from the bed, making them stand a bit closer than expected. He tries taking a step back to widen the gap between them, but the bed is right behind him, so he can't. 

Yeosang makes no move to widen their gap. He only stares at Wooyoung, examining his bruises. 

He raises his eyebrows "What? Are you expecting a thank you or something? Maybe a gift? Are you expecting me to let you escape since you did something nice to me?" He scoffs. So that's why he helped me, I'm-

"I'm not the only one who needs to escape" 

He goes still. "What did you say?" Wooyoung searches Yeosang's face for some kind of indication that he is pranking him or something, but he can't read his expression. 

Yeosang sighs wearily, running a hand through his hair. He looks at Wooyoung again. "I'm not the only one who's trapped here. You are too" 

It feels as though a bomb has been dropped onto Wooyoung's mind. He wants to defend himself and say he's wrong, but...

How can you tell someone who's telling the truth that he's wrong?

"Can't you see?" Yeosang's eyes pierce through him. "You have no say in anything you do, you're constantly being ordered around, and he beats you up as if you're his punching bag" he takes a breath. "You're being controlled". 

Yeosang's nightmare from when he first arrived finally makes sense. The chains on Wooyoung, the dark figure controlling him. It all makes sense now. Why can't Wooyoung see it? He shivers, not liking the memories of the nightmare coming back to him. 

But Wooyoung is living that nightmare. Right now. He always has been. 

"You need to make your escape too. You-"

"I can't leave." Wooyoung's raised voice startles Yeosang. He sighs. "I can't... leave." He mutters weakly. 

"Why? What has he done for you to not be able leave?" 

"He saved my life! Ok? When I was young and about to get killed, he took me in and now I work for him. I owe him my life"

"You don't owe anyone anything!" It's Yeosang's turn to raise his voice now. "You're not his slave"

"I have nowhere else to go, I stopped going school, I can't get a job. I'm just as trapped out there as I am here". 

Yeosang's heart wrenches in pity for Wooyoung. He is being too stubborn in his belief that he owes his boss his life.

"Look, how about you help me escape, I'll give you double the amount the price is for me, and I won't say a word about you, you'll never get caught. You just need to get out of here-"

"I didn't ask for your fucking help, I don't need it" Wooyoung grimaces at him. Why does he even care? He just wants to use me to escape. 

Yeosang doesn't even know why he cares. He has no idea when he stared caring, but he can't help it. Not when Wooyoung is in front of him, hurt for no reason. He lifts his hand up to cup his cheek (the side without the bruise), and just stares at him. What else could he do. 

With how close they are, Wooyoung is certain Yeosang can her his heart hammering against his chest. He can't let anything happen between them. So he pushes Yeosang's hand away, then pushes him away from himself and leaves the room. 

Yeosang doesn't try stopping him this time.


	18. XVII

Wooyoung looks in the mirror, at his cuts and bruises that were treated by Yeosang. He lifts his hand to touch it but winces when it stings. How embarrassing, he had to see me like that. 

He hadn't even done anything wrong, being so preoccupied with Yeosang made him forget that today was the day he had to carry out a mission. And his boss beat him up for letting some money get away. 

Wooyoung scoffs, who cares? That money is nothing compared to what I'm going to get out of that prince. 

He looks at himself again, frowning. He doesn't want to share that money with his boss, it's not like he has been serving Yeosang this whole time, Wooyoung should keep it all. But his boss would never understand that.

He never understands anything. He always just takes out all his anger on Wooyoung, even when he tries to fight back, defend himself, or even beg him to stop, he doesn't. 

Wooyoung didn't notice the tears rolling down his face until they fall onto the floor. He looks down in shame, not wanting to look at his own face anymore. He doesn't want to be the bad guy, he didn't choose to be one... but it's too late to go back now. He leaves his room and walks down the stairs to Yeosang's 'room' and unlocks the door. 

Staring at the handle, he gathers his thoughts. Wooyoung knows what he's about to do, and he's trying to do it before he changes his mind. He feels afraid for some reason he can't explain, but he pushes his worries away as he opens the door, eyes meeting Yeosang's, who looks at him curiously. 

"Ok, I'll help you escape if you do what you said before"

Yeosang's mouth opens in shock, Wooyoung had obviously expected that sort of reaction. He's decided that he's done with putting up with his boss, who treats him like dirt. Heck, the person he kidnapped treats him better than someone he's been working with for years. 

He's done with being ordered around, it hurt his pride that he just did whatever his boss wanted, like a slave. He hates the fact that he can never defend himself, it's like he's a puppet to his boss, or under a spell that prevents him from saying no. 

He wants to be his own boss, not working for anyone, and certainly not for anyone abusive. He'll figure it out once he's helped the prince escape and he's out of his life. 

"Really? Do... you have a plan?" Yeosang looks at him with hope. Why is he looking at him like that?

"Uh not yet... we can think of one together"

Yeosang really has no idea why his heart flutters, but he can't help it when Wooyoung is right there, being nice again. He isn't even nice this time, he's taking his breath away. He hadn't prepared to escape so early, but Wooyoung is letting him. 

Yeosang looks down, trying to hide the smile he can't stop from appearing, but it fails as Wooyoung still gets a clear view of it, which only makes his heart race. Something about Yeosang's smile makes his insides melt. 

He looks up, making their eyes meet and Wooyoung's heart skip a beat suddenly. "Thank you... you know, for agreeing to this. I promise to fulfil my end of the bargain, as long as you do yours."

He scoffs. "Of course I will, I'm not one to break deals, that's uncultured" and Yeosang rolls his eyes. 

"Let's sit and plan, I'm tired of standing" Yeosang says after a short pause. 

Wooyoung nods, slowly walking towards him and almost yelps when Yeosang groans at him for being too slow and grabs his wrist, pulling him to the bed and making him sit down, then taking a seat next to him. 

Yeosang looks at him expectantly with hope shining bright in his eyes. Wooyoung tries so hard not to walk out right there and then, he can't stand all this trust the prince is giving him, he can't stand the fact that the happiness in his eyes is caused by him. Since when does he makes anyone happy?

"Do you have any idea on how this could work?" 

Wooyoung looks up, shaking himself out of his trance, back to Yeosang's hopeful stare. He gulps. 

"Uhh... I know some people, they may be able to help us get out of here." 

"Are they your friends?" 

Wooyoung laughs. "No I don't do friends. They're just people I know... acquaintances at most" 

Yeosang nods. "Thank you" 

He doesn't know what for, but he feels like he needs to say it again and more. This is no ordinary favour. 

"I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for myself and the benefits that come with letting you go. You better give me double of what the price is for you." Wooyoung agues, ignoring the way his 'thank you's' make his heart flutter. 

Yeosang chuckles, another sound that makes his mind go crazy. He flashes his teeth as he laughs, and Wooyoung gulps. He wouldn't mind running his tongue over them, he wonders how sharp his canines are. They look really sharp. He imagines Yeosang's teeth trailing down his neck, his sharp ones digging into the skin, causing him to let out a groan. 

He slaps a hand over his mouth, causing Yeosang to jump at the action. He thanks the heavens that the prince's laugh muffled the sound of the groan he let out. Otherwise he'd be in big trouble. 

This is bad. This is very bad. Wooyoung needs something to stop these dangerous thoughts that occur too often. It only started because he began to be nice too Yeosang, but it's too late to suddenly go back to being horrible. Yes. He'll just have to slowly start being mean again and distance himself. That's the only way to stop these kind of thoughts. 

Wooyoung stands up abruptly. "I need to go"

Yeosang frowns. They were in the middle of planing their escape. "Where?" He asks, but he is already opening the door. 

"None of your fucking business" he hears, as the door slams. 

Yeosang smiles gently at the door. His heart is beating at a thousand miles per hour, something about Wooyoung agreeing to his plan made him weirdly attracted to him. 

It took all his strength to stop himself from pushing Wooyoung against the wall and kissing him right then and there. 

What. Yeosang shakes his head, lightly slapping his cheeks. I did not just think that. Again. His daydreams more often than not always consisted of kissing Wooyoung. And that is an issue he needs to fix.


	19. XVIII

The next morning, Yeosang paces his room, waiting for Wooyoung to come, so they could plan their escape. It's almost time for him to come down so he gathers potential ideas ready in his head, ready to tell them to him. 

When the door opens, Yeosang stands still. "Finally, what-"

He expected to see Wooyoung there, but instead his boss is closing the door behind him and walks towards Yeosang. 

He points to the bed "sit". 

Yeosang gulps, afraid of the man and does what he says. 

He is handed his food "eat". 

Usually Yeosang waits for Wooyoung to leave the room before he starts eating, but his boss' stare bullies him into eating straight away. Once he sees Yeosang taking an bite of his food, he heads to the door 

"Wait!"

Yeosang wants to slap himself for stopping the man. He wanted him to go already but here he is stopping him. But he couldn't help asking. "Where is Wooyoung?" 

What if something had happened to him? Did his boss do something to him? Was it so bad that he has to fill in for him?

Endless scenarios run through his mind and Yeosang can't help but worry for him. He was supposed to be distancing himself from Wooyoung, to stop his recent thoughts about him. He should be thankful that he's not here, since to gives him some practice in controlling his dirty thoughts. 

But his heart still squeezed with worry. 

The man raises his eyebrows "Why"

The fact that he only speaks in one word statements piles on to the fear he entices from Yeosang. It feels like with each word he becomes one stop closer to becoming a man eating demon. 

"It's... just that it's usually him who brings the food... I was just wondering" Yeosang hates the way the fear is clearly evident in his voice, I makes it hard to defend or stand up for himself. 

Wooyoung's boss only chuckles. "You don't need to know where he is" he says, then leaves the room. 

What was that about? Now Yeosang is actually concerned about Wooyoung. What if he needs help? 

He knew something so good couldn't last. As soon as he had the chance of escaping this place, Wooyoung disappears. Now there is no way he can leave with his boss around, and what about Wooyoung? He'll stay even longer under the control of his boss... is he gone under the orders of his boss? What if he's hurt?

Yeosang is so busy overworking his mind, planning and scheming to figure out where Wooyoung could have gone, he forgets to eat. 

And when Wooyoung's boss comes in again hours later and looks at the untouched food, Yeosang says his last prayers because he's certain he'll be killed. 

The strained smile he shows gives Yeosang shivers, and the chuckle he lets out makes his mind go blank in fear. 

"Listen prince. You may not know a thing since you're fucking royalty. But wasting food wastes effort. And money."

Yeosang gulps as he takes steps closer to him. 

"I might go completely penniless trying to fucking keep you alive." He cracks his knuckles. "That prize money might not even be enough to compensate all the money I've spent on you. I ought to just kill you now then, that bitch Jung isn't here to stop me anyway"

When he grabs his collar and swings his fist back, Yeosang cries out, covering his face with his arms. "Wait! I'm sorry, I'll eat it all I'm sorry" he begs. He still has bruises from fights with both Wooyoung and his boss, he'd definitely die if he got beat up again. 

Nevertheless, he is still thrown onto the floor so roughly, it takes all his energy not to scream. But he thanks the heavens when he leaves the room. Yeosang stands up immediately, feeling dizzy from the hunger, and eats out of fear. He might vomit but he's too afraid to do that. 

Thankfully for Yeosang, his last meal is given silently, with the boss just walking in then out. 

Today was exhausting. Yeosang thinks. He's never looked forward to seeing Wooyoung this much, he can ask what he was doing, or where he went. Then they can carry on planning. 

Yeosang sighs, waiting for the next day. He hopes he doesn't ever need to see his boss again. He shudders, at times like this, Wooyoung is definitely the good guy. 

He was the bad guy before, but now Yeosang has decided that he's not anymore. He's more like the misunderstood guy, or the 'I've never hade the opportunity to be good but deep down I'm good' kinda guy. Yeosang is just glad this stressful day is over.

The next morning, Yeosang would have jumped out the window if he had one. 

He stares at Wooyoung's boss (more like avoids eye contact) as he is given his food. He almost asks about Wooyoung again but he decides that it would be best if he kept his mouth shut. All he has to worry about now is staying alive, it feels like he's walking on eggshells. 

Three more days pass with Wooyoung's boss coming in and out. Yeosang is going crazy. 

One, because he has no idea what has happened so Wooyoung. And two because he hasn't talked to anyone in days. Usually he could get some sort of interaction with Wooyoung, whether it be a conversation or a fight. Anything was fine. But Yeosang is too afraid to open his mouth around the man, so he hasn't got any social interaction. 

Not to mention the scenarios and fears that have been piling in his head as the days go by. Wooyoung is a stubborn guy right? He would have been back by now right? If an outside person saw Yeosang they'd think he's a psycho, with the way he paces the room, trying to connect the dots of Wooyoung's disappearance. His hair is disheveled from him countlessly running his hands through it. 

~

Five days. 

Five days too many without Wooyoung. 

Five days later when Wooyoung walks in, Yeosang doesn't stop himself from running towards him. 

And punching him. 

Only on the shoulder though. So it doesn't hurt much, despite Wooyoung's loud wince. But Yeosang doesn't stop there. He currently was at the peak of a mental breakdown and Wooyoung just walks in and completely stops it. 

He shoves Wooyoung. "Where the fuck were you?" Another shove. "Do you know that your boss has been with me this whole time?" 

Another shove, Wooyoung stumbles a bit this time. "I thought you were dead"

Wooyoung stares at Yeosang, who is fuming, then smiles, which only adds to his anger. "Why are you smiling? Is this your idea of a sick joke?" He moves to shove him again but Wooyoung catches his wrist. 

"Why do you want to know where I was? It sounds like you were worried about me" he laughs, not mockingly though, but genuinely amused at Yeosang's reaction to his absence. 

"You were gone for a whole week without even saying beforehand!"

"So?"

"So! I had you boss giving me meals suddenly, he almost killed me one day, it was fucking stressful I almost just let him beat me to death. And on top of that, having no knowledge of where you were, why you were gone, if you were ok... it was killing me. It killed me that the one person I fell for suddenly disappeared without a trace!"

Yeosang had been so into his rant that he only realised what he said after looking at Wooyoung's eyes widen. He is still holding his wrist so Yeosang rips his hand off his grip and looks down. 

Shit. What did I just say. Yeosang had never even thought about falling for him so why did his mouth spill out a false confession? He needs to fix this fast before Wooyoung misunderstands. 

He gulps when he meets Wooyoung's eyes. "I mean, not /fell/ for... I've just like /felt/ like we've become aquatinted now, Right? We're kind of working together now, in a deal..." Even Yeosang doesn't believe himself. 

That doesn't stop Wooyoung's heart from hammering in his chest. Since when had he done anything to make Yeosang not hate him? All he remembers doing is constantly hurting him. His insides rumble in guilt. 

Wooyoung nods in understanding, it made sense that Yeosang got worried that he suddenly disappeared, especially with his boss replacing him. He would've been angry too, so he just takes Yeosang's words as insignificant ones that were spewed out in the moment. Yeosang seemed like he didn't mean them anyway so he figures they really were meaningless. 

He clears his throat and takes a step back, they are too close right now. Yeosang gets the hint and is more than happy to take a step back too. 

"I went out to meet someone" Wooyoung starts, looking at Yeosang carefully, who is now listening intently. Before he can ask who he met up with, Wooyoung continues. "It's someone who can help us escape, I've told them about you and our plan, we just need the right opportunity to leave"

Yeosang blinks rapidly "then why were you gone for days?" 

"I didn't want to look suspicious to my boss, so I said I'm going on a mission, one that would take days. He was more than happy to let me go". 

He nods in understanding. Smart. Wooyoung is putting a lot of effort into their deal. More than Yeosang had expected he would. 

In that moment, neither opened their mouths. And Yeosang's own confession doesn't come as a surprise to him anymore. 

Wooyoung looks at Yeosang, who is looking at him as if he'd saved the world. He has barely done anything remotely amazing, he's just trying to keep his end of the deal. But something in the way his eyes, which were glazed with curiosity, stares at him when he talks, makes his heart flutter. He has never had anyone be so interested in what he has to say, it makes him unconsciously look forward to seeing Yeosang every day. 

Wooyoung had fell for Yeosang without even realising.


	20. XIX

The next day, Wooyoung is back to plan for their escape. There are many questions in Yeosang's head right now but he tries to keep the awkwardness to a minimum. 

He looks at Wooyoung's face, who is looking down at a notepad he brought, his brows are furrowed in concentration. When his teeth catch the edge of his plump bottom lip, Yeosang quickly looks away, it is would be dangerous for him to keep staring, his heart wouldn't be able to take it. He sighs as Wooyoung clears his throat, looking at Yeosang to get his attention, who snaps his head up at a speed he didn't know he could move at. 

Yeosang gulps and looks at him, eyes trying to avoid his lips. 

"I've found a place where we can stay when we escape. I don't think it would be a good idea to go to the palace straight away, we'll sort things over there once we get to the place". 

Yeosang nods, glancing at the other, who is thinking hard about something, by his expression it doesn't look good but it still makes him curious. He is going to ask but Wooyoung starts talking anyway. 

"There's something I haven't told you yet", he says while avoiding eye contact. 

Yeosang raises his eyebrows, this doesn't sound good "what is it?"

"I've found out where your mother and sister is". 

His eyes widen, Wooyoung went looking for them again? Something in his heart twists, for Wooyoung's kindness and for fear of his family. Where had he found them?

"They're with les rois". 

Wooyoung looks down in frustration, hand running through his hair and Yeosang's heart drops down to his stomach. That means- are they dead?

"I don't know how, but they're still alive since they're with them, but they must be planning something, which is not good. If we want to get them out of there, we're going to need all the help we can get, les rois aren't people you deal with on your own". 

Yeosang doesn't believe what Wooyoung is saying. He wants to help them? What happened to just escaping then acting like they've never met? He didn't even ask for help but Wooyoung is here, willing to risk his life to help his family. 

"Thank you" he says, shaking. What else is he supposed to say? "I don't know how to repay you for you kindness... I'll pay you more-"

"Forget that, you don't need to pay me extra, I'll just help you get your family back alive" 

Yeosang smiles at him, teary eyed, making Wooyoung's chest clench. He would do anything to see that smile everyday. 

Something in Wooyoung's mind ticks, he wants to take care of not just Yeosang, but his family too, because that makes him happy. This is bad. He thinks, he's doing a horrible job at keeping a distance from Yeosang. It seems like every day he's becoming closer to him. 

Something about Wooyoung makes Yeosang feel safe, like everything will be okay, despite all the uncertainties around them. He feels like as long as Wooyoung is there with him, it'll all turn out good. 

He smiles at Yeosang, a comforting one. To tell him that everything will be okay. Yeosang's heart soars. 

And then stops as the door is swung open. It's Wooyoung's boss. 

Wooyoung hides the notepad under the duvet as he marches up to him. "What's taking so long Jung?"

He looks at Yeosang "Is this what you do when you go down to the room? You're supposed to be going in then out straight away!"

He grabs Wooyoung's hair, making him wince loudly "the one day I check on you, you're just sitting there acting like you don't have other things to do- you do this every day?" 

When Wooyoung doesn't answer, he sharply pulls the hair that is in his fist, making him close his eyes in pain, mouth shut tight not to show that it hurts. Yeosang's eyes are wide and he lifts a hand to stop him but immediately puts it down again, afraid of what his boss will do. 

Unfortunately for him, he sees Yeosang's worried expression and raises his eyebrows. "What's this?" He points at Yeosang. "Are you trying to help him?" 

Yeosang shrinks, he tries to shake his head but Wooyoung's boss just laughs. His laugh is loud and menacing, making the hairs on the back of Yeosang's neck stand. 

He lets go of Wooyoung's hair and Yeosang breathes a sigh of relief. But then he brings his hand back and lands a loud slap on his cheek. Wooyoung's eyes are screwed shut. 

"Is this how kidnappers treat their captive? You're supposed to be the bad guy" another slap. This time Wooyoung lets out a cry of pain. 

Yeosang holds himself back from doing anything stupid. Helping Wooyoung would make things worse now. Don't worry Wooyoung, you'll escape from here soon. Yeosang closes his eyes, not wanting to see the scene in front of him. 

"I don't know what's happened to you but you need to remember what you are. You're the bad guy and you'll always be one" 

Wooyoung's eyes are still shut. He's praying for this to be over already. He doesn't want Yeosang to see him like this, he had tried so hard to look strong and fearless in front of Yeosang. He isn't actually. 

He grabs his hair again and pulls hard, making Wooyoung jerk forward. And before he knew it, he his being dragged out of the room. Yeosang panics, standing up. But Wooyoung looks at him shaking his head, letting out a pained smile before the door is slammed behind him. 

A tear slips down his cheek as he silently pleads for Wooyoung's boss to go easy on him. He doesn't deserve this, he just wants to help. 

His boss is wrong. Wooyoung is not a bad guy, not anymore. Yeosang stopped seeing him as bad a long time ago, and he's thankful for that.


	21. XX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DOUBLE UPDATE!! Please read the previous chapter if you haven’t already ♡ ♡ ♡

Yeosang places the room, it's been three hours since Wooyoung got dragged out of the room. What if something happened? Yeosang can't help him while he's stuck here. He groans and runs his hand through his hair. 

Finally, an hour later, Wooyoung comes back and Yeosang immediately runs up to him and scans his face, he can see a small red tint on his left cheek, but he can't see anything else. Yeosang sighs, it could have been worse. 

"Are you ok?"

Wooyoung smiles. This is not a time to be smiling. "Yeah, I've had much worse. I'm ok". 

Something about Yeosang asking is he's ok makes his face heat up, he's never had anyone ask if he's ok. He doesn't even talk to anyone enough to build that sort of relationship. Yeosang gave him so many things he didn't know he needed until he got them, which is why he grows to look forward to seeing Yeosang. 

Yeosang who is smiling at him right now, because he's ok, the fact that he's ok makes him happy. He makes someone happy. 

He holds Wooyoung's wrist and takes him to sit on the bed, and takes a seat next to him. It looks like Yeosang needs to say something as he takes a deep breath, as if preparing himself. He makes makes eye contact with Wooyoung, noticing him gulp. 

"I don't think you're a bad guy"

Wooyoung furrows his brows in confusion but he continues anyway. "Your boss said that you're bad, and that you'll always be the bad guy. I don't think that". 

Wooyoung's face heats up, he's never thought of himself as anything but bad, and now Yeosang, the person he's kidnapped and ruined his life is saying otherwise. 

"You've helped me in more ways I can imagine, you're kind to me and you're helping me escape... you've made me happy". 

Not by just helping Yeosang escape or find his family. Wooyoung talked to him, provided him with a form of communication. He probably would have gone crazy if they never conversed, there's only so long you can go by yourself before you need human interaction, which he provided. Yeosang figures that why he's grown to look forward to Wooyoung coming everyday to the point that he counts the minutes until it's time for him to come again. 

Wooyoung doesn't know what to say at these words he's never received before but he stares at Yeosang, his eyes looking into his soul. His smile makes his mind go crazy, making him want to wipe that smile off his face by crashing their lips together, but he can't. He wants to take this hands that are fiddling with each other and just hold them, but he can't. He never will be able to, he keeps forgetting. 

He needs to make Yeosang hate him again, just so that his mind can be at ease. He has to stop receiving smiles from him, stop getting thank yous, stop being comfortable around him. It makes his heart cry but he needs to stop himself from looking forward to seeing Yeosang and talking to him. It's the only way to get rid of his thoughts. 

So he braces himself. 

He laughs. "You think I did that for you? You're so pathetic. You'll get comfy with anyone that gives you attention. Pathetic" Wooyoung tries not to wince as it hurts him to say these lies. 

Yeosang frowns. Why is he lying? He can see the truth in his eyes, he doesn't understand why Wooyoung is suddenly acting all rude. Why can't he just admit that he's not a bad guy... he's making things harder for himself. 

Wooyoung scoffs at Yeosang's confused expression. "You would know anything about doing things for yourself, you're royalty- you've been served your whole life. Even here I'm practically your fucking servant. You've never faced a hardship in your life". 

Ok. That annoys Yeosang. So you wanna play that game huh? 

Yeosang raises his eyebrows, giving Wooyoung an incredulous look. "Firstly: you have no fucking right to assume I've never had any hardships as if you've lived with my whole life". 

Wooyoung gulps as Yeosang stands up. His mission succeeded in getting Yeosang to hate him, but why does he feel sad now?

Yeosang shoves Wooyoung. "And secondly. I'm sick and tired of your 'woe is me' attitude. Stop fucking acting like the world revolves around you and you're the only one with a hard life. Running a country is hard- especially when there are maniacs wanting to kill you". 

He shoves Wooyoung again. "I try my best to make your life easier, I eat, I do what I'm told. But you, you keep complaining about me like a little bitch if I even say anything, always telling me to sit still or always starting an argument. Well here you go, are you fucking happy now". 

Wooyoung stands up and grabs Yeosang's collar, making him yelp in surprise. He brings his fist back but when Yeosang flinches, closing his eyes, he lets his fist fall to his side. He clenches his jaw. Why can't it do it...

Yeosang looks too fragile to punch. Even then, he's never had a problem with that before. 

He stops himself from beating him up, Yeosang doesn't deserve it. Instead, he just roughly let's go if his shirt and pushes him away. But even that is weak. 

"I'm doing this for myself". He repeats "I'm not doing it to help you, I just want your money. I am a bad guy". Wooyoung feels like he just says it to convince himself rather than Yeosang. 

"I'm a bad guy too then". 

Wooyoung looks at him in confusion at why he would say such a thing. Yeosang eyes are teary and it makes Wooyoung just want to make all his troubles disappear, so his tears would never see the light of day. 

"When my father was killed, I just ran away. I didn't know where my family was, so they could have gotten killed too. But I just ran selfishly. I only think of myself. I'm a coward". 

Wooyoung looks even more confused now. 

Yeosang chuckles "you're right you know, I'm pathetic, and now I'm paying the consequences. My mother and sister are in a way worse condition than me and here I am constantly crying about myself... I'm such a hypocrite. I'm pathetic, I should have died instead, I'm useless-"

"Don't say that, you're not useless!" This is the moment when Wooyoung's tough façade breaks. He feels like someone is stabbing his heart every time Yeosang says something bad about himself. 

"You have every right to complain about your situation. You did the right thing running away when it could have gone worse, you are brave and strong. You always stick up to what you believe is right, you're stubborn like that. You should be proud of who you are!"

The silence is deafening. Wooyoung is surprised at his words, it is his first time ever saying something like that to anyone. 

But what confuses him is that Yeosang looks angry. Steam is practically shooting out of his ears, as he breaths heavily, looking like he wants to kill Wooyoung. It scares him. 

And he gets even more scared when Yeosang charges at him. Wooyoung covers his face, waiting for a punch. 

But it doesn't come. And instead Yeosang is grabbing Wooyoung's shirt to make him face him, and connects their lips. 

His heart stops in shock and Yeosang waits a full five seconds of still lips before pulling away. His eyes that were once tightly shut are now open to look at Wooyoung. His eyes are wide open, as if he had never shut them in the first place and Yeosang is instantly drowned in regret. 

Shit what did I do? Yeosang panics at the lack of reaction from Wooyoung, who is still staring, wide eyed. He takes a step back, holding back a regretful groan. It seems as though he had completely misread Wooyoung's kindness to him. 

Yeosang unconsciously bites his lip in frustration, and only notices when Wooyoung finally moves, looking down at his lips, then back at his face, making eye contact. Which is a mistake as he gulps, shrinking under Yeosang's stare. 

Wooyoung looks at his lips again, then back to his eyes, as if trying to say something. At first Yeosang is confused but then he tries something. 

He takes a step forward, and when Wooyoung doesn't make a move to step back, he cups his face, waiting for Wooyoung to shove him off if he wanted, but he doesn't. He leans in slowly, giving Wooyoung time again, to pull away. But he doesn't. 

When he connects their lips again, Wooyoung immediately responds, moving his lips along with Yeosang's. 

It's not slow, as he already feels Wooyoung's tongue trying to get in and Yeosang of course opens his mouth, moaning at the feeling of their tongues curling around each other. They waste no time as the kiss becomes more faster and open mouthed, Wooyoung wraps his arms around Yeosang's neck, making the other drop his to his waist, but his hands end up roaming his back. 

Wooyoung pushes them forward until Yeosang's back hits the wall, making him groan into Wooyoung's mouth, causing a moan from him and he curls his fingers into his hair. 

They explore each other's mouths for a while, Yeosang pulls away to catch his breath but Wooyoung barely lets a second pass before he crashes their lips together again. Their bodies are flush against each other so they can feel their hearts, which beat simultaneously at an unmeasurable speed. 

Yeosang pulls away to land his lips on Wooyoung's neck, placing kisses and sucking certain areas until Wooyoung lets out a loud moan, the hands in his hair pulling gently. Once he's found the spot that Wooyoung likes, he sucks on it, earning sounds that makes Yeosang want more. He runs his tongue over it and lightly bites it, catching the skin in his teeth then letting go of it, only to lick and kiss it again. 

Wooyoung's eyes roll back in pleasure. He had always dreamt of Yeosang's sharp teeth on his skin (literally dreamt). Real life is so much better. 

Once he's done, he kisses Wooyoung again, fingers gripping the back of his shirt. This time, Wooyoung catches Yeosang's bottom lip with his teeth, sucking it then pulling it just to feel it snap back into place. He wastes no time shoving his tongue into his mouth after that. 

The combination of Wooyoung pulling his hair and his tongue dominating over his own makes Yeosang moan. And when Wooyoung tip toes to deepen their kiss, it only makes him moan even louder, trying to pull Wooyoung even closer than their already flushed bodies. 

One of Wooyoung's hands let go of Yeosang's hair and moves to his hip instead, then moves down to his thigh and under his knee. He picks Yeosang's leg and wraps it around his waist, hand resting on his thigh. 

The two are roughly the same height, so when Wooyoung rolls his hips against Yeosang's, they rub perfectly in a way that makes Yeosang moan into Wooyoung's mouth, panting hot breaths as Wooyoung does it again, desperate to hear those sounds coming out of his mouth.

"Ahh... Wooyoung"

Yeosang moans his name, making his heart do somersaults as he moans with him. He always loved the way Yeosang said his name. The grip on his thigh tightens as he rolls his hips again, making Yeosang whine, saying his name again. 

Which takes him back to reality. 

Wooyoung abruptly pulls away, and takes a few steps back, stumbling slightly. Yeosang looks like a mess, his lips are swollen and his hair is all over the place. He has no doubt he looks like that to. 

Yeosang frowns, confused at the other's sudden reaction. 

Wooyoung in the other hand has a million thoughts running through his head, making it pound. He slowly shakes his head "we can't do this". 

Yeosang's heart drops. "But you kissed me back"

Wooyoung squeezes his eyes shut, just wanting to run out of the room. "I know- I know I did but...we can't do this again, this can never happen again"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that we can't be together" Wooyoung almost raises his voice. He doesn't want to say why, because honestly, he has no answer. He's just afraid of hurting him, Yeosang is better off without him anyway. 

Wooyoung continues "how can we be together? I kidnapped you for fucks sake, I've been a terrible person-"

"Things have changed" Yeosang says calmly, in contrast to Wooyoung's panicked state. But he just shakes his head. 

"We can't... be together" he repeats. It seemed like Wooyoung struggled to let out every word. 

So, to avoid talking anymore, he runs out of the room, taking one last glance at Yeosang's sad expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY   
> IVE BEEN DYING TO WRITE THIS! why did they take so long to kiss   
> I guess it's not a slow burn for nothing 👉🏼👈🏼  
> This is a double update because I COULDN'T WAIT to upload it


	22. XXI

The next day is awkward, so Wooyoung avoids it by barely passing Yeosang a glance when giving his food and leaving silently. 

Yeosang watches the door shut and sighs, frowning at the way Wooyoung is acting because of yesterday. 

~

Going up the stairs, he sees his boss waiting for him, he silently pleads that he doesn't want anything. 

"Let's talk"

Despite his fears, Wooyoung nods and his boss turns around, walking to his office, expecting him to follow... and he does. 

The air is thick as they walk into the office. Wooyoung gulps as he is told to sit down, his boss taking a seat opposite him. He leans forward, placing his arms on the table and crosses them. "Tell me, what information do you have so far? What are you going to do next, we've had the prince for a while now". 

Wooyoung blinks rapidly. So this is what the meeting is about. He needs to quickly think of something since he can't exactly tell his boss that they are planning to escape. 

"Well" he starts, trying to sound confident but most likely failing. "Since he's been here for a long time and the price isn't getting any higher, I think it's time to hand him in". 

He almost smacks himself in front of his boss. Why did I say that... if his boss agrees and takes Yeosang back, he'll still be stuck here while Yeosang is free. 

But somehow the thought of Yeosang being free makes it worth being trapped here instead of him. He's been here longer anyway, he can handle it. 

But no. They had planned their escape together, they are supposed to do it together... he doesn't want to be alone again. Trapped. 

His boss leans in his chair, placing a hand on his chin, deeply thinking about something supposedly. His eyebrows furrow but then something clicks as he raises them, smirking. 

"I don't think the price is high enough yet..." 

Wooyoung tries not to show his surprise. He doesn't want to give Yeosang in yet? Something about the look on his boss' face makes him uneasy. 

"Let's go with plan B" Plan B? We haven't talked about a plan B... 

"It will get us at least double of what they're offering. We send them a picture of the prince beat up or dying and force them to increase it. Then we'll give him. We might as well do it the bad way since we're bad guys" He looks excited and Wooyoung just wants to vomit. 

I don't think you're a bad guy Yeosang's voice rings in his head.

"No!" Wooyoung shouts before he can stop himself, and immediately regrets it after seeing his boss's reaction. 

"Why?"

And he means 'why are you disagreeing with me', not 'Why is it a bad idea'. He says it in a sinister tone that initiates Wooyoung's fight or flight mechanisms. 

He gulps, wishing he could turn back in time and keep his damn mouth shut. But something tells him that even if he could travel time, he would still try and stop his boss. 

He looks at Wooyoung threateningly, waiting for a response, his fists are curled, waiting for him to speak. He doesn't want to get beat again. Fortunately, Wooyoung has mastered the skill of making things up on the spot. 

"It's just that ..." but he hasn't yet mastered the skill of telling them confidently. "You know how prickly les rois are, if we send a picture of the prince, I'm certain they will somehow find out and will know we have him. You know it will only go down from there, it's too messy in my opinion. Then they will have a grudge on us, it wouldn't be good for business". Wooyoung speaks with great speed and uncertainty despite his words making sense, so his plan unfortunately doesn't win his boss over. 

"I don't care about that, once we get the money, no one can bother us. Plan B it is". He says with finality and stands up, telling Wooyoung to get lost. 

"At least fake it!" Wooyoung stands up quickly, making his chair screech against the floor loudly. 

It's just for the picture, don't do this to Yeosang. Wooyoung begs for his boss to listen to him. But he knows he made a mistake by yelling at him when he laughs. It's always bad when his boss laughs. 

"Don't tell me... you aren't going soft aren't you? Even if it's for a photo why not get a little fun out of it when we have our own personal sparring dummy?" He laughs loudly but Wooyoung isn't impressed. 

I'm just going to have to stop him myself. Wooyoung thinks, he can't let Yeosang get hurt again, not by anyone ever again. 

He'll just have to play along with his boss for now then. If Wooyoung is one thing, it would be that he's cunning. He's got a natural skill for planning and undeniable luck which makes all his plans go smoothly. 

"I'm not going soft, I just want to do the beating up... I'll take the picture too so you don't have to". Wooyoung straightens his shirt, trying his best to look serious. 

But it seems like today, his boss isn't willing to put up with whatever bullshit he is trying to make up. His laugh is back, and Wooyoung wants to throw up right there and then. 

"I don't think so Jung. You've been having fun all this time. Don't think I don't see your stupid grin whenever you come out of that room". He grabs his shirt and pulls him forward. "It's my turn now". 

Wooyoung is pulled by his collar out of the office and across the hallway, dragged towards a room he is all too familiar with.

Where Wooyoung would take people and interrogate them, maybe leave them in there for a few days alone until they could finally cough up their money. 

When his boss opens the door, Wooyoung drags his heels on the floor, trying hard to resist but it's no use as he's thrown into the room. 

He hears three locks click then his boss's voice. "I'll let you out once I've got the picture, I'm sure you'll be dying to see it" another laugh, which gets quieter as he walks away. 

This is bad. This is really bad. Wooyoung's heart pounds in fear. Yeosang doesn't know what's coming for him. He punches the metal door but knows it's no use. 

He has to try anyway. He needs to save Yeosang. 

Yeosang needs him.


	23. XXII

Yeosang practices his apology for when Wooyoung comes in next, he's made things awkward between them and he honestly just wants both of them to forget about it and act like they were before. Not like that was any less awkward...

He checks the watch Wooyoung gave him, he should be here by now. 

As if on cue, the door opens and Yeosang stands up, smiling. "Woo-"

His smile immediately drops. It's not Wooyoung.

His boss is here instead, smiling wickedly. It makes Yeosang shiver. He takes a step back as the tall man takes a step forward. He looks amused at Yeosang's scared reaction. He laughs. 

Raising his eyebrows, he stares at him cunningly. "Why are you acting all innocent? I know what you're scheming"

Yeosang furrows his eyebrows, what is he talking about? Scheming? Does he know about their plan to escape? His heart drops to his stomach. Where is Wooyoung? He must have gotten to Wooyoung before him, it must be his turn now. 

The man walks up to him and grabs his collar, adding to his fear. Yeosang holds his breath as he waits for a punch. 

"Don't s act like you don't know what I'm talking about prince" He snarls at him "you didn't think I could see through your plan huh? Well your plan to take advantage of Jung has succeeded. Don't think I haven't noticed his soft behaviour. I don't know what you're playing at, making him your servant. But know what's coming to you now is because you deserve it bitch". 

Yeosang's collar is roughly pushed away, making him stumble. He sees something glistening in the mans pocket as he takes it out. A dagger.

He spins the dagger in his hand, chuckling at Yeosang's wide eyes as he walks towards him. 

"You need to look nice and bloody for your photo". 

Photo? Yeosang doesn't even have time to think about what he said as a punch lands in his face. It seems like Wooyoung's boss isn't starting off easy as Yeosang is almost unconscious with one punch. His whole world spins and his mind goes fuzzy, the dizziness making it easier for him to get punched. 

He tries defending himself, not even bothering to fight back. He's just terrified, he doesn't want to be in pain. But the man doesn't even acknowledge Yeosang's hands trying to block his punches as they land every time, making him scream out in pain. 

The floor is cold as Yeosang falls on it, unable to get up. He feels blood trickling down from his nose and his eyes are threatening to shut. But it's too painful to move them. The man doesn't slow down for a second, kicking and stepping on him. Fortunately for Yeosang, after who knows how long, he doesn't feel any more pain as his whole body becomes numb. He can't even feel his sore throat from screaming in pain anymore. This is good. He thinks, closing his eyes and letting his tears drop onto the already massive puddle on the floor. Please just hurry up and black out... I can't take this anymore. 

And for some reason the universe decides now is the time to do what Yeosang wanted, he becomes unconscious. 

Wooyoung's boss stand up, looking at Yeosang and laughing. "What a shame it took less time than expected". He brings out his dagger "don't think I'm done with you yet though now that you're unconscious... you need to look better for your picture". 

He digs the dagger into his stomach lightly, enough to draw blood but not to cause any real damage. He's not a psycho you know. 

The blood makes a pretty strain on Yeosang's shirt. "It's too bad that you've lost consciousness, I would have loved to hear your screams and begs for me to stop". 

He decides that his neck is too clean so with a quick swipe, blood is trickling down his neck, forming a small pool around his head. 

The man chuckles. Perfect. He thinks, and takes a picture. This is going to get him a lot of money. 

~

He is still laughing as he leaves the room and struts into Wooyoung's, who immediately stands up upon hearing the door open. 

Wooyoung's heart drops as he sees the picture his boss waves at his face. "Isn't it good? Wow I can already smell the money... you must be sad that you didn't get to do it, it was very amusing, just look at the frown on your face". 

Wooyoung chokes back tears. He mustn't show his boss he cares about Yeosang. But still, he won't give him the satisfaction of supporting him. He stays silent, resisting every urge to strangle his boss. 

"To get this picture to the palace I'm going to go to the usual place I tell you to go, they're the only ones I can trust to get such an important thing right". 

Wooyoung looks up, Wait... that means-

"Yes I'm going to be gone for about a week. I don't trust you to do this so I'm going to do it myself. That prince is taking advantage of you. I'll sort you out once he's gone". 

Before Wooyoung can respond, his boss is out of the room. 

Wooyoung waits 30 seconds maximum before sprinting out of the room towards Yeosang. He can feel the tears rolling down his face but he doesn't care. He won't even be able to stop them anyway. 

He rips open the door and his eyes immediately land on the limp figure on the floor and his legs don't hesitate to run towards it. 

The sight shocks him, it's even worse than the picture. Wooyoung wastes no time getting the first aid kit and pulling out all the bandages he can find. He knows it's not adequate but it's enough to keep him alive for now. 

Wooyoung sits on the floor and picks Yeosang's head up, placing it on his legs, not caring if his trousers got blood on them. He bandages his neck, as it looks the worst out of everything. 

Then he carries him to his bed so he can get a better look. Wooyoung cleans all his wounds and puts medicine on them. 

His face looks bad. His eyes not only had dark circles around them but they are also puffy. The swollen lip and the bruises on his cheeks make him gag. 

Wooyoung cries as he wipes the blood off his nose. He cups his face and strokes it with his thumb, not caring about his loud sobs. His heart clenches, making him cry even harder. 

"Yeosang..." he clutches his shirt as he places his head on Yeosang's chest, sobbing onto him. "I'm sorry, I came too late, I'm always too late. I'm always hurting you" he lifts his head and his tears fall on Yeosang's face, falling onto his cheeks as if he's crying too. 

"I'll get you out of here. I'll make sure you'll never get hurt again". He brushes his hand through his hair then caresses his face. 

Wooyoung leans down slowly, placing a soft kiss on his nose. "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry Yeosang". Another kiss on his forehead. 

"I'll make sure you escape and never have to see me again. That way you'll never get hurt again".


	24. XXIII

Wooyoung is seeing his boss off, who leaves the next day after taking the picture of Yeosang he plans to use, the sooner the better. He is at the door standing next to the man, who looks at him with an expression Wooyoung can not read. 

"I'll be back within the week, if not sooner. You better not do any funny business while I'm gone, just continue doing as you were. Make sure that bitch knows his place too, I can tell you're going soft. He's taking advantage of you, I know it". 

You don't know anything. Wooyoung thinks, but all he can do is nod "of course, I'll make sure he knows not to mess with me". 

His boss gives him one last glare before turning around, leaving for his journey. Wooyoung shuts the door straight away, already running to Yeosang. 

He had to leave after healing him just so his boss wouldn't get suspicious, thankfully he didn't check on Yeosang after Wooyoung had treated him, otherwise he would have been in big trouble. 

The door swings open and Wooyoung doesn't even bother shutting it behind him before running to Yeosang, who is still unconscious on his bed. 

He lets out a shaky breath, cupping Yeosang's face, and lets his thumb brush his cheek for a few seconds. "Please wake up" he whispers even though he knows he can't hear. 

Sighing, he grabs his phone from his pocket to make a call, and waits until the person picks up. 

"So, you've figured out when?"

"Yeah" Wooyoung replies. "This week. I can't say which day for sure but definitely this week". 

A hum is heard through the other side of the phone. "Good enough for me, we'll be prepared, so just call on the day"

Wooyoung nods then hangs up, slipping his phone back into his pocket. When he turns around, he sees Yeosang standing up, looking at him. 

His heart drops when he sees him, but runs to him anyway. "Why are you standing? You're hurt badly sit down!" He holds Yeosang's shoulders and gently pushes him to sit on the bed then kneels on the floor in front of him, looking up at him. 

"Are you ok?" Wooyoung can't control the hand that lifts up and rests on Yeosang's neck, thumb brushing his cheek as the remaining fingers rest behind his ear. The action makes Yeosang's breath hitch and Wooyoung pulls away with an apology, annoyed at his hand that can't seem to stay away from Yeosang's face. 

"I'm ok"

Wooyoung can tell he's not. He still has cuts and bruises all over his body, they must hurt really bad. Guilt rushes over his body for the millionth time "I am so sorry, this is all my fault. I couldn't stop my boss fast enough I was too late. I've failed-" 

"Wooyoung" 

Wooyoung's heart clenches at the way his name is said. There is too much forgiveness in his voice, he doesn't deserve it. "It's not your fault one bit. It's okay... I'm okay". 

Yeosang senses Wooyoung's discomfort as he looks at his glassy eyes, so he tries to change the subject. "Who were you talking to?"

It seems to work as he smiles at him "someone who can help us escape". 

Yeosang's eyes widen. "You've already found someone? That's great but how are we supposed to leave with your boss around? We-"

"Yeosang". Wooyoung says, looking up at him and smiling brightly and his heart skips a beat. One because his smile literally glows and he's pretty sure it has lit something up in his body. And two, because it's the first time he's hearing Wooyoung say his name. It sounded so natural coming out of his mouth, it makes his face heat up. 

"My boss is gone for a week, we can go as soon as you're ready". 

His mind races. I can go now? I can finally escape... Yeosang makes eye contact with Wooyoung. "Can we go now?" He asks, hope radiating out of his body. 

But when he gets a frown as a response, all the hope leaves him. "You're still healing, it's barely been a day since you fell unconscious, it would be too hard for you, and may make things worse". 

Despite his words being rational and the responsible thing to do, Yeosang still frowns, refusing to look at him. "Fine" he huffs. 

Which makes Wooyoung chuckle, pinching his uninjured cheek "gosh you're so cute". 

Yeosang freezes and he lets go of his cheek so fast someone might have thought it burned. Wooyoung clears his throat "sorry" he says, then gets up to leave the room, making Yeosang panic. 

"Wait!" He stands up, not wanting to be left alone. But upon standing too quickly, Yeosang cries out in pain from... everything. He almost blacks out again because the pain if it weren't for Wooyoung's voice which makes him want to stay conscious, just to listen to it. 

"Yeosang!" He rushes to him and catches him before he falls, helping him into his bed. His breaths are shaky and Wooyoung can't even imagine how much pain he must be in now. 

His eyes are closed but Wooyoung can tell he's still conscious as he checks all his injuries again, reapplying medicine on some and replacing his bandages. 

"I'll go get you some food". He says, walking away. 

"Wait" 

Wooyoung turns around to see Yeosang looking at him with half closed eyes. "I'm going to take a nap, sleepy". 

He scoffs, he only regained consciousness over an hour ago now he wants to sleep again. "Ok, I'll get some food for you to wake up to". 

But as he walks away, Yeosang grabs his hand, preventing him from moving, partly because he freezes at the touch. "Stay next to me, please". 

Wooyoung looks at him, confused "we can't-"

"I know" Yeosang says, the sadness shining in his eyes "we can't be together... I just want someone to be next to me while I sleep. Please". 

He eyes the bed as Yeosang struggles to budge up to give Wooyoung space to lie down. But he gives in to the stare piercing his heart as he waits for Wooyoung to get in. 

The bed is very small "I might hurt you-"

"I know you won't. I trust you". Yeosang already knows he won't hurt him even unintentionally, because Wooyoung is hanging off the edge of the bed so he doesn't touch him. He looks at Wooyoung and smiles sadly at him before falling asleep. 

Wooyoung looks at the sleeping prince and runs his hand through his hair, careful not to wake him. It's moments like these where he lets himself touch him that keep Wooyoung sane. No matter how many times he tells Yeosang they can't be together, Wooyoung selfishly steals moments like this for himself. What a hypocrite, he thinks 

He continues running his hand through Yeosang's soft hair, trying to provide a sense of comfort for... the both of them. He stares at him, Wooyoung has always thought he was handsome, since the day they met at the ball, no one can deny the fact. His perfectly shaped nose, sharp jawline, pouted lips. It's only human nature to stare and he continues to do so, as it makes him feel at peace, falling asleep while cupping his cheek.


	25. XXIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IM AN IDIOT   
> THE BIGGEST CLOWN
> 
> I skipped a WHOLE chapter when updating   
> Here it is  
> I’m so sorry if you got confused I’m an idiot

Three days later, despite Yeosang's complaints that he feels fine, Wooyoung finally decides that he's healed properly and is ready to leave.

Yeosang is standing up while Wooyoung removes the last of his bandages, his scars healed quickly thanks to Wooyoung taking care of him. He still has many bruises that will take time to fade but overall he feels fine with moving and running. They need to hurry anyway, his boss could be back any time soon...

"We're making a move today" Wooyoung says on the phone then hangs up after the short statement. Yeosang thought he looked cool. 

It hits him that they're actually leaving, when Wooyoung opens the door, signalling for him to come. A rush of adrenaline surges through his body, making his heart beat faster. Being in this room for months, he has never actually imagined leaving, especially like this with Wooyoung, who is willingly letting him go, and coming with him, and now that he's experiencing this indescribable feeling of excitement, relief and anxiety combined, Yeosang knows he would never have been able to imagine it. 

Wooyoung waits patiently as Yeosang just stands there staring at the door. He thought he would've been more eager to leave and run out as soon as the door opens but he just stands there. 

"Hello... Yeosang?" Wooyoung waves a hand, trying to get his attention. Yeosang shakes his head as if he is waking up from a daydream then looks at the door, then to Wooyoung, and back to the door. 

He starts rushing towards it, and instead of heading out the door, he stops and turns to Wooyoung, pulling his wrist until they are close, then wrapping his arms around his neck, holding him tightly. "Thank you" he whispers softly in his ear, Wooyoung almost shivers. 

Instead of responding verbally, he just wraps his arms around the other's waist, holding him equally as tight. He lets himself have a moment in his arms, knowing it's probably the last, so he closes his eyes and clutches onto his back, not wanting it to end. 

But Wooyoung pulls away first anyway, avoiding eye contact and just pulling him out of the room. 

They waste no time in the house as Wooyoung quickly gives Yeosang a thick coat. He was brought here in summer and now it's winter... 

The guilt overwhelms Wooyoung every day, it's what keeps him up at night. He knows nothing can make up for months of solitude, pain and sorrow, but he's going to try from now on to not be an asshole to Yeosang. He gives a scarf and gloves for extra warmth, they are meeting with someone, but they have to walk quite a bit to their meeting place. Transportation is too risky as the possibility of someone recognising Yeosang is higher than walking fast and avoiding people. 

Wooyoung gives time to Yeosang as they take their first step out, letting him stand there for a moment and breathe in the fresh air. He didn't even have a window in his room so Yeosang enjoys facing the sky and closing his eyes, the sky is covered in clouds but he'll take all the sun he can get.

In this position Yeosang's sharp jawline is prominent, and since his eyes are closed, Wooyoung allows himself to marvel at his beauty. Wow, he really is a prince he thinks with a scoff. He's literally built like a statue, Wooyoung genuinely wouldn't be surprised if someone carved his face and brought him to life. Everything from his eyes, nose, lips... is perfect. 

He is so deep in thought that he didn't notice Yeosang looking at him until he smiles, showing off his teeth, chuckling at Wooyoung. He blinks a few times then gulps, trying not to look at his teeth, flashbacks of their heated kiss invading his mind. He's pretty sure his cheeks are red now so he looks away, trying to hide it from Yeosang, ready with his excuse that the cold weather is what tinted his cheeks.

"Were going to get cold if we don't move, come on let's go" 

Wooyoung leads the way and Yeosang follows excitedly. It would be too easy to run off and scream for help right now, anyone would recognise him and help him immediately. But he doesn't... for some reason he doesn't want Wooyoung to get into trouble. 

It's a long walk but Yeosang doesn't mind, he takes in his surroundings like he's on a different planet, he doesn't mind that Wooyoung isn't saying anything, the silence is peaceful, not awkward. 

They end up at a pretty busy street, so it would be hard to get through there with Yeosang unnoticed. Luckily, there is a smaller street to the right that still takes them to their destination, even if they have to walk a bit more.

As they walk through the eerily empty street Wooyoung wonders why Yeosang agreed to give him double the money as long as they escape, maybe he did it out of pity for him after seeing how his boss treats him. He probably thinks he can't defend himself in front of him. He sighs, feeling like a coward. 

Yeosang wonders why Wooyoung is being really quiet, he had barely said anything during their walk. He is about to ask if there's something wrong when Wooyoung abruptly stops, making him bump into his back. 

"Why did you sto-" Yeosang looks in front of Wooyoung to see his boss standing there, looking unimpressed. His heart drops to his stomach. 

The man raises his eyebrows upon Seok g the two then chuckles at Yeosang who is hiding behind Wooyoung. 

Yeosang doesn't actually know if he is the one who hides behind him or if Wooyoung stepped in front of him to protect him. Either way, he somehow feels safer like this. 

"So this is how it's going to be?" He laughs loudly in disbelief. "I didn't think you were the betrayer type Jung. Usually you cower at my words and do whatever I say like a slave. You were so easy to kick around, who would have thought you had the guts to dare to leave". 

Wooyoung fumes in anger, bracing himself as he defends himself for the first time in from of his boss. "I'm done with you and the way you treat me. I know as soon as you get the money you're going to take all of it despite it being MY idea". 

He is secretly trembling behind his courageous words. He's never spoken up to his boss before, afraid of what he'd do to him... but it feels good letting it out. 

His boss on the other hand doesn't tolerate Wooyoung's new attitude towards him, as he runs towards him, so fast that Wooyoung doesn't even have time to react before he is thrown onto the wall. Yeosang gasps as sees him sliding down the wall, groaning in pain but his boss pays no attention to Yeosang, focusing only on Wooyoung. 

He throws a punch but Wooyoung dodges it, making his fist land on the wall. He swears loudly as he gets angrier with Wooyoung who successfully dodges all his punches while Yeosang watches in horror. 

Wooyoung stops a fist that is coming for him and twists his arm, kicking his legs to make him fall down. Getting abused by him taught Wooyoung his boss's techniques when fighting him, making it easy for him to predict where he will attack, and the best way to dodge it. Once his boss is on the ground, Wooyoung doesn't hesitate and starts punching him, letting out all his anger for everything he did to him and Yeosang, mostly for Yeosang. 

His boss is bigger and stronger than Wooyoung so it's not hard for him to push the boy off of him and send him to the wall again. This time Wooyoung hits his head badly and blood immediately spills out of his head and Yeosang cries out, rushing to him, holding his head. Wooyoung feels dizzy. 

His boss takes this opportunity to grab his phone and call for backup. Luckily for him, they aren't far away so within the minute, five more people come to him. They look shocked at the man's bloody face and he just points to Wooyoung on the floor, understanding their order and rushing over to him. One throws Yeosang off of Wooyoung but he retaliates, throwing a punch at the guy, who only gets annoyed at Yeosang and strikes his nose, making him dizzy and fall down. 

Wooyoung sees this and screams, scrambling up to go to Yeosang but is held back against the wall. I need to help Yeosang. 

He doesn't even care about the five men holding him down, Yeosang is already weak. He was attacked almost fatally only a few days ago. He kicks one of them in the balls and punches another in the stomach. But he's outnumbered, no matter how much he fights, they always come back. 

With every punch he lands, he receives four. 

Wooyoung is almost on the verge of collapsing but he has to stay strong. I can't go back, we can't go back. Yeosang is clutching his nose on the floor. At least he isn't unconscious. 

"Yeosang! Go quickly, just run. Forget our deal just go! Pretend we've never met!"

Yeosang somehow gains energy as he whips his head up to look at Wooyoung as if he is crazy. "Are you mad? Why the fuck would I do that?! I'm not leaving you!" 

As if he'd ever go and leave Wooyoung with them for him to go back to his boss. He can't imagine what hell he would go through if they took him back. I'm not leaving you. 

Wooyoung looks at him pleadingly. "GO! I'm begging you". Yeosang just stares at him, shaking his head. 

One of the guys kick Wooyoung's stomach and he cries out in pain. He can't take it anymore, becoming certain that he'll black out with one more blow. It's over for them. Tears are running down his cheeks as he flinches, waiting for the last punch that will end him. 

But it doesn't come. 

He hears fighting but no one is touching him. He gasps, are they fighting Yeosang? Wooyoung quickly opens his eyes to see someone ripping the men's grip off of Wooyoung and beating them all up.

Hongjoong. 

His eyes widen at the small figure singlehandedly rendering five bulky men unconscious, blood spilling all over the floor. 

He smiles at Wooyoung. "I thought you might run into trouble on your way, so I came to check up on you"

Hongjoong looks at Yeosang, who is looking small and afraid. He bows "your highness" 

Wooyoung had forgotten Yeosang is a prince, despite him saying every day, it never actual registered in his head. What have I done. 

The small man gets out a packet of tissues and hands it to the both of them, rushing a bit since it's dangerous out here. "I have proper supplies at home, we'll get you healed there. Let's go, it's too cold to be standing around". 

Yeosang looks at Wooyoung, who nods, confirming that this man is trustworthy. Hongjoong finds it strange but amusing at the same time that the prince has to ask Wooyoung first, he thought his whole saving them and beating everyone up had earned his trust. 

"Come one now, Yunho is waiting"


	26. XXV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again, I’m an idiot

They arrive at a small flat and Hongjoong opens the door, taking them inside and leading them to the living room, where Yunho is waiting. 

When he sees them, he immediately bows a full 90 degrees "your highness, it is an honour to have you in my hom-"

"Ah stop there's no need for that" Wooyoung says, lifting Yunho up. He finds it strange and slightly uncomfortable with the fact that both Hongjoong and Yunho greet Yeosang like this, whereas he just... you know, kidnapped him. 

Honestly, Yeosang feels flustered whenever someone bows to him. Especially now since he forgot that he is a prince. And the fact that he doesn't deserve their bows, he should be bowing to them, thanking them for letting him stay at their home. 

Yunho looks at Wooyoung and Yeosang, who both look like they've fallen off a cliff, Wooyoung especially. His eyes widen as he looks at Hongjoong. 

"Are you okay?" He grabs his face, turning it side to side, scanning it for any blood, bruises, anything. 

Hongjoong just swats his hands away "I'm fine, I've not got a single scratch. It's those two who need our help".

Both of them shift awkwardly where they stand as Yunho looks at them again. He nods then runs off to the bathroom to get the first aid kit and Hongjoong tells them to sit while they wait. When Yunho comes back, he takes out medicine and turns Wooyoung to face him to treat him. Hongjoong treats Yeosang. 

"I'm sorry you've had to go through all this your highness, we'll do our best to protect you from now on". 

Yeosang smiles softly at Hongjoong's words, he feels safe for the first time in ages. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. You have no idea how grateful I am to you". 

Hongjoong chuckles "there's no need to thank me. Besides, Wooyoung is the one who asked me to help you, you should thank him" 

They look at Wooyoung, who currently cannot turn his head as Yunho is holding it in place applying medicine. "I've thanked him a million times" he smiles at him, making Hongjoong raise his eyebrows subtly so Yeosang wouldn't notice. Once they clean themselves up, Yunho and Hongjoong insist on a formal introduction for Yeosang since he still doesn't know their names. 

"My name is Yunho Jung and my boyfriend here is Hongjoong Kim" Yeosang had suspected there was something between the two but he didn't want to assume anything, but he is pleasantly surprised. 

The two bow for the hundredth time "your royal highness, we-"

This time Yeosang stands up, waving his hands "call me Yeosang please, forget who I am" he won't be able to stay here if they are constantly bowing to him and addressing him as 'highness'. 

He wants to be treated normally, like how Wooyoung treats him. Because of him, he forgot that he was even royalty, it felt nice. He wants to be treated like a regular person so to break the ice, he grabs the pair and pulls them into a tight hug, one arm around the others neck, which is difficult since Hongjoong is shorter than him and Yunho is much taller. 

Nevertheless, they get the message as they pull away laughing. "Alright Yeosang, you must be tired. Wooyoung told me all about what happened a few days ago with his boss. It might have been a few days but you still need rest since you just came out of another fight". 

Yunho pulls Yeosang and Wooyoung "lets get you to your room". 

He points at the door "both of you get some rest, you both look exhausted poor things" Yunho tuts then walks away. 

Wooyoung pulls him back "Wait... we're sharing a room?"

Yunho scoffs "we only have two bedrooms, one is mine and Hongjoong's and the other is yours... unless you want me to share with you" he winks. 

"Ugh I'll just sleep on the sofa, how are Yeosang and I supposed to shar-"

"I don't mind sharing with you" Yeosang interrupts and Wooyoung looks at him with wide eyes "don't sleep on the couch" he says, staring into his soul. 

Yunho raises his eyebrows, the pair don't even acknowledge his presence anymore, too busy staring at each other and suffocating him with their sexual tension, so he quietly leaves them be. They agree on sharing the room and when they walk in, they are faced with a new dilemma as there is just one bed. 

Yeosang insists on sharing. 

~

Wooyoung leaves the room, Yeosang is asleep and he is hungry. He goes to the kitchen and finds Hongjoong there and smiles at him. "Where Yeosang?"

To this day, Wooyoung's heart still reaches when thinking about the other. "Asleep" 

Hongjoong nods slowly, not taking his eyes off of Wooyoung. His suspicious gaze starts to annoy him "What?" 

"Is there anything going on between you and the prince?" Hongjoong had found it strange that the infamous Wooyoung, who never goes a line out of place when completing missions, suddenly ended his career to help the prince escape. Of course, he had an abusive boss so he has his benefits in leaving too... but with the soft looks Yeosang gives him makes him wonder if there is something else behind his agreement to letting him go. Those looks aren't ones you give to someone who kidnapped you. 

Wooyoung's reaction gives it all away though. The flash of panic that only lasts half a second and his mouth twitching. He wants to aggressively deny it but that would be too obvious so he takes a deep breath and pretends to act confused. This only reaffirms Hongjoong's suspicions even more. 

"Why would there be anything between us" He acts scandalised "That's just wrong" 

Hongjoong nods in agreement and Wooyoung can't help but feel upset even though it's the truth. Them being together is so wrong. 

That's why we can never be together.


	27. XXVI

They all sit around the table, collectively planning on their attack on les rois. They already know where Yeosang's family are so they only need to discuss how they will get in and out. 

"So, we crash in, grab the queen and little princess then take them to the palace?" Wooyoung reiterates what Hongjoong said. 

"Yes, but there obviously will be guards everywhere, so I called for backup to help us fight them off" Hongjoong informs. 

"They are keeping them at their 'headquarters' so it will be difficult to get in, we just need to outnumber them and we'll be fine" Yunho adds. 

Yeosang can't believe these people are actually willing to help him save his mother and sister, he tries hard to stop his tears from falling right there and then. "Thank you for everything, all this effort you're putting into helping me. Money can't express how grateful I am but I will give you-"

Hongjoong shakes his head "there's no need to pay us, we're just here to help fix this mess since all the royals are missing right now. Besides, we owe our Wooyoung a favour so we're helping him out too". 

Yeosang looks at Wooyoung, who turns his head as well and their eyes meet, only to be broken immediately by Wooyoung. Yunho smirks at them and Yeosang brings the focus back on their plan. 

"What if something happens like we can't leave?"

Hongjoong chuckles "of course every good plan has a plan B" which he says with such certainty that Yeosang feels secure, appreciating his ability to convince people to trust him. 

Yunho suddenly stands up "oh my god I can't believe I'm going to meet the queen!" He starts panicking and pacing the room while the other three just stare at him "shall I bring flowers with me? What's her favourite colour?" 

Wooyoung groans loudly on purpose to stop Yunho talking anymore nonsense "why would you give her flowers! I wouldn't be surprised if she threw them in your face if you could even get them to her in one piece because you'll be fighting people!" 

Yunho just pouts in response, muttering something about Wooyoung being a killjoy. Hongjoong smiles at the interaction, reminding him of the old days when it was just them three. Yunho and Wooyoung used to always fight for the toys. Yunho seems to be thinking the same thing as Hongjoong as his pout turns into a sad smile. "I've missed you, Wooyoung. We both have". 

The said boy looks up at the sudden confession. Honestly? He hadn't even thought about them when they grew apart, only focusing on his missions his boss gave him, his thirst for money overpowering anything else. But being with his old friends after years has made him miss them so much, even though they are in the same room. Just looking at them now makes Wooyoung miss them, he misses all the wasted years without them. He knows for a fact that he would've been way more happier if he had stayed with them. 

But then if he had stayed with them, he wouldn't have met Yeosang, who makes him pretty happy now. He's happy now with Yeosang and his reunited friends, maybe all these years of suffering were leading up to now, where he certainly is the happiest he's ever been. It's definitely worth it. 

"I've missed you too Yunho" he smiles, then looks at Hongjoong "both of you" 

Yeosang watches the exchange which makes his heart swell. Seeing Wooyoung happy with his friends makes him relieved that he's done with being trapped under his boss. A young guy like him should be free to do what he wants. 

"I'll let you guys catch up, I'm a bit sleepy" Yeosang says and heads off to his room, not waiting for a response. 

Once he is gone, Yunho grabs Wooyoung's arm and pulls him almost flush against him and leans in. Wooyoung flinches and moves to push him away but Yunho only whispers in his ear. "There are condoms in the left bedside drawer" 

Wooyoung gives him an exasperated look but Yunho only winks, making Hongjoong laugh next to him, having heard what he said. 

"We're not like that!" He exclaims with wide eyes but Yunho only scoffs. 

"Yeah, sure. Protection is important!" 

Wooyoung huffs and walks away from the cackling Yunho behind him.


	28. XXVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double update!

Yunho is just at annoying as he was ten years ago. Wooyoung thinks, then smiles softly, he really missed them. 

He walks in to his and Yeosang's shared room to see him looking out the window, displaying an expression he can't read. He looks up when hearing the door shut. 

"Oh you're here? I thought you'd want to be alone with your friends and catch up". 

Yeosang genuinely wanted Wooyoung to be close with his friends again, that way them two could distance themselves a bit since they are spending way too much time with each other, causing unavoidable feelings. It's best if they started to decrease the amount of time they're together now that they can socialise with new people. Yeosang wants to be friends with them too as they seem very nice. 

"I have all the time in the world to catch up with them. Once you go back, I'm going to stay with them for a while before I can sort my own things out". 

Yeosang nods. That makes sense. 

"And since you're going back tomorrow, we'll never see each other again and even if we do, we must act like we've never seen each other". 

Tomorrow? They did go over the plan that they're going to free the queen and princess tomorrow and get them back to the palace, but Yeosang had forgotten that meant he had to go too. 

"So I wanted to say an official goodbye, I doubt we'll have much time to do it once we actually part ways". With every word, Wooyoung's heart breaks. He doesn't want to say goodbye, he want's Yeosang to stay even though that's not an option. 

Yeosang's heart breaks with every word Wooyoung says. He doesn't want to part with him. He needs to do something before it's too late. 

"So, it-"

Wooyoung can barely even say a word before Yeosang shuts him up, connecting their lips. 

Wooyoung doesn't move one bit but Yeosang is determined. He tip toes to change the angle and kiss him deeper and he feels the other shiver. The kiss barely lasts a few seconds before Wooyoung is pushing him off, wiping his lips roughly.

"Why did you do that?" Wooyoung says still wiping his lips, his face of disgust contradicts the way his heart is racing. 

Yeosang just laughs emotionlessly "isn't it obvious? I don't want to say goodbye to you Wooyoung, I'm pretty sure by now you know what my feelings are towards you"

He does know. Because his are the same. "You know we can't be together"

"Why!" Yeosang doesn't mean to shout but this excuse he constantly hears has no logic, no reason. "Why can't we be together?"

Because I'm afraid. "I'm not good enough for you. I'm not good at all". 

Wooyoung looks at Yeosang who looks like he doesn't believe a word he's saying. He genuinely thinks that Yeosang deserves better, all he has done is hurt him over and over. When did he even have time to fall for him?

"I'm going to hurt you. I've already hurt you countless times, you should find someone better for yourself". 

Yeosang scoffs is he being serious? "Who are you to tell me who I can and cannot date just because you are the one afraid of hurting me. I will kill you myself if you ever hurt me... but I won't have to because I know you won't". 

Wooyoung looks at his serious expression. He's right, he had already decided that with their limited time left together, he would never hurt Yeosang again, wether it be physical or verbal. He discovered that although his number one love was money, Yeosang made him realise that money only provided temporary happiness for him. It was gone in an instant and his he didn't feel happy thinking about it if it was gone. 

Wooyoung feels happy thinking about the prince even if he's not there. That's when he realises... Yeosang provides a much more long lasting, permanent kind of happiness. It was all too easy to see a life with him in the future. 

But it makes no sense for them to have a future together. He had ruined his life and made him miserable, hurt him infinite times-

"Do you regret hurting me?" Yeosang looks at him with questioning eyes. 

"Every day" he says without hesitation, making Yeosang's heart crack. 

It's all the answer he needs. "I hurt you too, many times Wooyoung, and I regret ever hurting you" He chuckles sadly. "Does that make me selfish for still wanting to be with you even if I hurt you?"

I guess he's right. Yeosang thinks, it makes no sense for them to be together, how did he even catch feelings for him in between all that fighting? With all his heart, Yeosang regrets all the rude things he's said, all the punches he's thrown. But he doesn't regret their time together, because something about him made Yeosang want to be more than just enemies. 

"I don't want someone who is better for me, I want you". The bluntness off his words makes Wooyoung's heart race. 

"Don't say you're not good enough for me, you've seen me at my worst and my best, which no one has ever seen. You've stayed with me for months on end. You've stopped yourself from hurting me don't you remember? I know you don't want to hurt me anymore... I don't want to hurt you anymore too"

Something inside Wooyoung cracks as tears slide down his cheeks "I'm sorry..." he remembers all the bruises and pain he's inflicted on Yeosang. He hates himself. 

"I forgive you Wooyoung, I do" he doesn't want him to cry. It's not his fault... mostly. 

Wooyoung wipes his tears away, collecting himself and preparing to look at Yeosang. The worried expression on his face doesn't suit him, he doesn't want to make him worried. 

Wooyoung walks over to him and cups his face and with one last look, he closes his eyes and kisses him. Yeosang is surprised at first, it's usually him who starts the kisses, but in one second, he is closing his eyes and kissing back. 

It's slow unlike the first time they kissed, not rushing to push their tongues in or anything, just Wooyoung stroking his cheeks as they move their lips in sync. Yeosang feels wetness on his cheeks and even though his heart aches, he knows it's Wooyoung's tears, so he tightens the grip on his waist and switches the angle, kissing him deeper. 

Their heartbeats are simultaneous against each other's, just as fast and Wooyoung needs more. He moves his hands from Yeosang's cheeks and instead wraps his arms around his neck, fingers sliding smoothly into his hair. But it's not enough so he pokes his tongue into Yeosang's mouth, who pulls away suddenly. 

They are already out of breath despite the slow kiss, "This can't be a one off thing, you can't avoid me like last time. Tell me this is real" Yeosang's lips are slightly plumper already and Wooyoung can't stop staring at him. 

Yeosang plays with the back of Wooyoung's shirt as he waits for a response. He wants this as much as Yeosang does, he's just afraid of hurting him. 

"I want this" Wooyoung barely whispers it but Yeosang hears it loud and clear so he doesn't hesitate to pull him forward, slamming their lips together. 

It gets heated now as their kiss becomes more open mouthed, tongues exploring each other's mouths. Wooyoung pushes Yeosang, making him fall back onto the bed, both shuffling over as Yeosang lies down, pulling Wooyoung on top of him. 

His hands are on either side of his head as he pulls away to place kisses on his jaw, lips trailing down to his neck, sucking on the area that brings the sweetest sounds from Yeosang. 

He takes his time indulging in his neck since he smells so good, then licking all the way up to his earlobe, biting it softly to make him moan again and Wooyoung relishes the sound. Yeosang pulls him up again to take his lips, his hands which were on his hips are now under his shirt, feeling his toned stomach and back. Wooyoung lets him explore. 

As they kiss Wooyoung rolls his hips down, earning a choked groan and when he does it again, Yeosang meets him halfway making both of them pant in each other's mouths. It feels so good they could go on forever like this. 

They both get rid of their shirts, Wooyoung immediately kissing down Yeosang's chest to his stomach, then licking a stripe all the way up while locking eye contact with him. Yeosang found it so hot he has to look away before he exploded. Wooyoung wants to make him feel good, make him forget all the cruel things he did. He just wants Yeosang to know how much he wants this too, he doesn't want Yeosang to think he's the only one who wants more. 

So he'll make him feel good.

Wooyoung kisses down his chest again, past his stomach all the way to his trousers. He catches the string with his teeth and pulls it, uniting the knot. He looks up at Yeosang who is watching him full of lust "is this okay?"

Yeosang nods quickly, silently begging him to continue but he doesn't want to seem too eager. 

Wooyoung pulls down his pants, taking his underwear with it. Now Yeosang feels self conscious since he's the only one completely nude and when he closes his legs, Wooyoung just pushes them open again "So pretty..."

Despite it always being in his head that Yeosang is jaw dropping gorgeous, he's never said it out loud to him, so he is pleased with his reaction as he blushes, moaning as Wooyoung noses his inner thigh. 

His hands trail along his thighs as he kisses it, tongue tracing over every part he kisses. The moans coming out of Yeosang are deep and they vibrate through Wooyoung's body, all the way down. Just hearing him moan makes him hard. 

Yeosang wants more, he can't stand the teasing anymore. The kisses Wooyoung trails along his inner thighs make him shiver. "Wooyoung I want all of you" 

He looks up from the hickey he was working on. Seeing Yeosang from this angle makes him even hungrier so he nods, remembering Yunho's words about the left bedside drawer. Luckily, he also finds the lube so he grabs that too but gets stopped by Yeosang. 

"Wait- I've never done this before" Yeosang looks timid all of a sudden but Wooyoung just smiles gently, pulling him in for a soft kiss. 

"I'll take care of you, don't worry" he whispers against his lips and Yeosang trusts him immediately. 

Wooyoung kisses him one more time before sitting up, positioning himself between Yeosang's legs. He coats his fingers with lube and gently presses into Yeosang, who lets out a gasp, then presses another in, pumping them to prep him, feeling how tight he his. 

Wooyoung takes the rest of his clothes off once he thinks Yeosang is ready, and slips the condom on, leaning over him and kissing him gently "are you ready?" He says and Yeosang nods, wrapping his arms around his back to brace himself. 

He inserts his length slowly into Yeosang and stops when he's fully in, giving him time to adjust. The look of pain mixed with pleasure makes Wooyoung go crazy so he kisses his neck, waiting for a signal to move. 

Wooyoung was prepared to be patient but it doesn't take long at all before Yeosang is telling him to move, so he does. 

He thrusts slowly at first, moaning at the way Yeosang's tight walls clenches around him, but after a while, he tells him to go faster. Wooyoung lifts his legs higher so he could go deeper and Yeosang instantly becomes a moaning mess, clutching onto his back leaving scratch marks. 

He hits his prostrate again and again with the new angle and Yeosang cries out with every thrust chanting his name and telling him to go faster. Just listening to Yeosang's deep voice say his name makes him weak, and with the way his hot breaths hit his neck as his fingers dig into his back, Wooyoung is cumming in no time, it feels so good that he isn't even embarrassed that he came first. 

But he wants to make Yeosang feel good too so he pulls out, making him whine desperately. He also doesn't want to make a mess in a bed that's not theirs so he takes Yeosang's hard member into his mouth. 

Yeosang is already close and having Wooyoung takes his whole length in without a problem makes his back arch and toes curl and a hand reaches out to grab his hair, making Wooyoung moan. The sound vibrates onto his cock which makes his eyes roll back in pleasure. 

He gasps as he continues to suck him, spilling out warnings that he's close but Wooyoung pays no attention to it as he takes all his cum, swallowing it to the last drop and placing one last kiss to the tip before sitting up, taking a look at Yeosang, who is breathing heavily, exhausted after being fucked then sucked dry. 

Wooyoung discards his condom and lies down next to Yeosang, who looks like he's seconds away from sleep. It's still gross to sleep like this since they both smell of sweat and sex but neither have the energy to clean up now. 

They make eye contact and Yeosang smiles at him "thank you" 

He doesn't know what for and doesn't have time to ask because Yeosang falls asleep, chest rising and falling slowly. Wooyoung thinks he looks beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. This was my first time writing smut I know it's not good, I literally read smut but when it comes to writing it I'm all afkgjdhdkgkfkfkftjr


	29. XXVIII

Wooyoung wakes up to soft lips on his. 

He opens his eyes to see Yeosang kissing him slowly, who probably feels his eyes open because he pulls away sheepishly. "Sorry, did I wake you up?" He feels embarrassed that he gets caught, what if Wooyoung regrets last night? What if it didn't mean anything to him?

Yeosang looks so cute Wooyoung's brain turns into mush. He misses the feel of his lips so he pulls him in, placing a long but slow kiss on his lips. "You didn't wake me up don't worry" He smiles against their lips. Yeosang looks up and smiles shyly when Wooyoung plays with his hair.

"You're pretty" he says, making the other blush and bury his face in his chest. Wooyoung just kisses the top of his head, he could get used to this. 

When they both freshen up and head to the kitchen, they see that Yunho and Hongjoong are already there. 

"Today's the big day! Are you excited Yeosang?" Hongjoong asks, seeming very excited. 

Yeosang nods, finally he's going to be able to see his family after months, he just hopes their mission goes well. Yunho must have noticed his worried expression because he pats his shoulder "don't worry Yeosangie, we're a team of experts in this field and we have back up, you can trust us". 

He smiles at him "I trust you guys"

~

Hongjoong suggests to go once it's dark since it's more unexpected, so as night falls, they head out. As they drive, Wooyoung notices Yeosang fiddling with the hem of his shirt, biting his lip out of nervousness. 

He holds the shaking hand. "It's ok, I'll be with you" He says and places a kiss to his temple. 

Wooyoung wants to hide his nervousness to make Yeosang feels less anxious, so he hides his expression by leaning on his shoulder for the rest of the drive. 

Yunho watches the unexpected interaction, I see he took my advice well. He thinks, smiling at the two. 

Hongjoong parks away from the actual place, in order to prevent any suspicion, so they still have to walk a bit to the headquarters. Halfway there, they meet up with a big group and Hongjoong greets them, they must be the backup they had talked about. 

Wooyoung is still holding Yeosang's hand, rubbing circles with his thumb as they walk. The action calms him down but not enough, nothing could make him feel less anxious with what they're about to do, his mind keeps making up scenarios of their plan going horribly wrong and he can't stop it. 

In no time, Yunho is already stopping everyone. "We're here, everyone already knows the plan: break in, find the queen and princess and get them out of here. Get ready to attack whoever's in your way" The serious look on his face makes this all too real. 

"San and Mingi's team you take the back entrance. Jongho and Seonghwa's team you two go through the side. The rest come with Yunho and I to the front, along with Yeosang and Wooyoung". 

They all scatter round and Yeosang can barely hear anything over his rapid heart beat. "Wooyoung I'm nervous" he looks at him with worried eyes. 

Wooyoung takes both his hands and squeezes them, giving a small smile. "I know you're probably thinking of worst case scenarios, and... even though I can't guarantee this mission succeeding without any problems, I trust our team, we'll get through this, we'll get your family back Yeosang". 

His words make him calm down a bit and Wooyoung cups his face, rubbing their noses together and Yeosang melts at the touch. He kisses his forehead, then nose, and finally finishing off with a peck on his lips. But Yeosang is full of emotions right now and he needs something to clear his head, so he pulls Wooyoung down for a deeper kiss, wrapping his arms around his neck and letting all his thoughts temporarily disappear. 

Yunho and Hongjoong watch the two from afar. "I thought Wooyoung said that there's nothing going on between them" Hongjoong chuckles at the two wrapped a round each other. 

Out of habit, or maybe due to the couple making out in front of them, Yunho back hugs Hongjoong. "They must have hid it from us" 

"What if it's a new thing?" He asks, it could be possible that they only established their relationship not long ago. 

"Nah. I'm certain they've just been hiding it from us, I knew from the way they look at each other, they have some sort of feelings between them, I think they've been together for a long time already" Yunho says. 

Yeosang pulls away but still rests his forehead against Wooyoung's. "I'm ready" 

Wooyoung smiles, taking his hand in his and they walk towards Yunho and Hongjoong, who grin at them. No one says anything as they walk to the front door, the silence is not awkward but instead peaceful. It feels like the calm before the storm. 

They stop a few metres away, Yunho signals to their team to attack the two men guarding the door, which they do nice and silently. Yeosang is impressed with their skills. Once they reach the door, Hongjoong stops them. 

"Ok, once we open this door, we begin our search, we start off quietly but it won't be long before they notice and get their men on us. Yunho and I will go left, Wooyoung, you and Yeosang go right. Check everywhere"

They nod and Yeosang's stomach rumbles in anticipation. But a second isn't spared before Hongjoong rips open the door and runs in. Wooyoung immediately pulls him in too, both of them running inside. They slowly walk through the halls, trying to keep quiet. Yeosang would be lying if he said he wasn't terrified right now, the grip on Wooyoung's hand tightening. 

Wooyoung didn't mention anything even though his grip hurt a bit. 

They look through all the rooms they could find, but all of them are empty. This building is too big. Yeosang looks into another room but there are people in it, so they quickly run past it, not wanting to gain any attention. They head up the stairs, frantically looking through other rooms. 

It was going so well. 

Before they hear a loud alarm, and the lights suddenly go red. Wooyoung's eyes widen as he realises what's happening. They know they're here. But he's still determined to find Yeosang's family so he tightens his grip on the prince and pulls him, telling him to run. They sprint through the halls and Wooyoung silently begs that they don't run into anyone. 

But it's inevitable when there are so many of them in the building. They halt in their tracks as a group of men find them, charging towards them. Wooyoung pulls Yeosang behind him as one of the guys kicks him to the floor, Yeosang cries out, helping Wooyoung up.

But it's no use as more and more guys come and throw punches at both of them, Wooyoung fights back, easily snapping their necks or kicking them in the groin. It's easy for him since he's been in this situation too many times to count. But Yeosang struggles. As a prince, he's required to take martial arts but he's never fought this many people at once. 

Nevertheless, these people are straight up thugs, all they can do is punch and kick because they're tall and hench. Yeosang knows how to easily dodge most of their blows. But numbers count and he is outnumbered by a lot, and Wooyoung begins to struggle with the numbers too. One of them yank his arm and holds him down as another punches his nose. Yeosang screams, vision going blurry. 

Wooyoung turns around at the scream, looking at Yeosang, who looks close to being unconscious and his eyes widen. I'm not letting it happen again. 

Wooyoung shoves the men off of him, stepping on them, kicking them, anything to get to Yeosang. His hands are all bloody and there's blood trickling down his nose but he doesn't feel a thing. He needs to help Yeosang. 

With a swift crack, Wooyoung steps on the man's back, rendering him immobile and yanks the other man's grip on Yeosang, giving him a punch too. 

He has tears on his cheeks as he grabs into Wooyoung who helps him stand up. "I'm so sorry" He says, wiping the tears and blood off his face. He failed to protect him. 

Yeosang just shakes his head, "I'm fine don't worry. We need not be quick now" 

He nods "can you run?" He asks and Yeosang nods. 

They start running away from the pile of men on the floor, alarms still wailing at them. They reach a split corridor and neither know if left or right is best. And at the worst moment, they hear running in their direction and they look back to see another group, ready to fight, leading them to panic. 

"Should we split up? We could find them easier like that" Wooyoung suggests quickly, it would also make the thugs split up too so it would be easier to get away from a smaller group of people. 

Yeosang nods good idea. They waste no time as one takes a corridor each and run for their lives. 

He doesn't have to look back to know there is a good five people running after him. It seems like he's been running for ages before he is met with a dead end. He stops as he sees people running towards him from the front and back. And there's no other way to go. 

One of them recognises Yeosang, pointing at him and shouting "that's the missing prince! Kang Yeosang!" 

His eyes widen. He had completely forgot that they would recognise him and be put in danger. His heart hammers in fear as he doesn't know what to do. Running would just place him in their arms, and there's too many to fight back. 

~

Wooyoung goes down the stairs, running and attacking whoever comes in his way. He starts to get tired but rest isn't an option right now, it's been ages since they two split... he hopes Yeosang is ok. 

Running into a room, he finds Hongjoong and Yunho searching it, heads whipping towards whoever opened the door, ready to fight. Yunho looks at Wooyoung, confused. 

"Where's Yeosang?"

Hongjoong notices it too and his eyes widen, waiting for Wooyoung's answer. 

"We split up, we thought it would be faster like that" 

The pair open their mouths in shock simultaneously. "You IDIOT" Hongjoong shouts, smacking his forehead. 

Wooyoung suddenly feels afraid at his expression, which is mixed with annoyance and worry. 

"You're supposed to be protecting Yeosang from les rois! What if they see his face and recognise him? They know he's the prince, they might kill him!"

Wooyoung's ears ring, fear blocking out anything else Hongjoong shouts at him. He takes a shaky breath and runs out of the room, as fast as his legs can carry him, not even looking back at the two. 

He has tears rolling down his cheeks faster than ever. I can't lose you. In such a short time he knew Yeosang, he had fallen so hard. He gave him everything he needed, he didn't even know himself before Yeosang came along. He made him feel like someone, not just a bad guy. Yeosang was stubborn enough to get through to his own stubbornness, he made him feel loved. He finally had a purpose, not being the bad guy, but someone who could make people happy. Yeosang put value in his life when he couldn't himself. 

Yeosang taught him how to love himself. That he's a good guy, who is worth more than being pushed around by an abusive boss, and that there is more to life than money. He gave Wooyoung a real meaning to life, to live for himself and make others feel like that too. 

Yeosang taught him more than he could ever imagine. He can't lose him now, not ever. 

Wooyoung breaks open a door, finding people inside. These are just people slowing down his search for Yeosang so he doesn't even flinch when they attack him, dodging their punches. They're all terrible fighters, even when they have knives with them, swiping them out as Yeosang is the only thing in his mind. He notices another door inside the room and he kicks it open despite the multiple locks on it and he is met with a flight of stairs. Running down it, he stumbles into an eerie room. 

It's dark and not very big, but what Wooyoung sees makes his stomach churn. 

The room has bars across it, like a prison cell. He can barely see anything so he steps closer and sees three people inside the cell. 

They are all on the ground, huddled in a circle, all crying. Wooyoung could recognise that figure any day. 

"Yeosang!”


	30. XXIX

Yeosang braces himself as the gang of men circle around him, he really doesn't want to show them how scared he is but he knows his eyes show it all. 

One of them chuckle "well well, what a good deed we must have done to get the last Kang with us" 

He seems to be the leader as everyone else fake laughs along with him, some cheering too. He takes a step towards him but Yeosang doesn't take one back, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of showing his fear. 

But when he grabs Yeosang's shirt, he tries defending himself, prying off the grip which only makes him angry as he kicks Yeosang to the ground making him cry out in pain. He still hasn't recovered from his previous fight and he's sure he'll pass out with one more blow. 

The man only drags him up by his shirt again. "How did you know we were looking for you? You wanted to make our lives easier and you came to us?" He laughs loudly, making Yeosang wince at the noise. 

"Or did you come to save your little family?" He throws Yeosang on the floor. "They're slowly withering away without you. How selfish are you to be looking this healthy?" He presses his shoe onto Yeosang's chest and when he tries to push it off, he only presses harder. 

He can feel his got tears splashing onto the floor as he closes his eyes, waiting for this to be over and done with, for them to kill him already. When the shoe is lifted off his chest, the man orders girs men to take him to the basement. Yeosang's mind races in fear. He spent want to go back into a basement, trapped again. 

But he can barely move before he his thrown over someone's shoulder and is taken downstairs. They seem to think he's unconscious as they don't beat him up anymore, just simply carrying him, so he goes with it. 

But it doesn't stop his tears from falling. Where is Wooyoung? His mind goes into is dangerous habit of overthinking again. What if this was his plan all along? He suggested to split up and now this happened... did I mean nothing to him?

He is thrown into what looks like a prison cell. He doesn't care anymore, there isn't any reason to live anymore. He doesn't know where his family is, and Wooyoung doesn't love him. 

He breaks out into sobs, curling around his knees and letting his tears run free. 

"Yeosang? Is that you?" 

His head snaps up, he could recognise that voice anywhere. 

"Mum?" He opens his eyes and his vision is blurry because of the tears but the figure he sees is definitely his mother, and his sister next to her. They grab him, pulling into a hug, his mother sobbing uncontrollably and stroking his head. "My son" she cries, squeezing Yeosang hard "you're alive!" Yeosang squeezes back equally as hard. 

Despite their surroundings and the state of themselves, they are happy. Yeosang's mother kisses his forehead then his sister rushes to hug him. 

"Yeojin!" Yeosang picks up the little girl and hugs her tight and cries into her shoulder. 

"Are you two alright?" He says, looking at their shrunk figures, they don't look alright but their mother nods anyway, "we're okay" 

He pulls them both in for a hug again and they both stay like that. Until the sound of a door being broken open is heard. None of them move, except holding each other tighter, afraid that they'll be separated. 

"Yeosang!"

That voice. Yeosang looks up to see Wooyoung, who runs up to the cell, holding the bars. "Yeosang!" He says while crying. 

The sight of Wooyoung crying makes his heart ache so he runs to him, holding the bars. "I'm so sorry Yeosang I'm so sorry" he hits his head on the bars repeatedly. 

"I never should have suggested to split up, I'm an idiot, I didn't think that they would take you, I'm so dumb. I'm so sorry Yeosang" he hits his head again but Yeosang reaches his hand through the bars and stops him. 

They both have tears falling, Yeosang wanting to kill himself for thinking that Wooyoung betrayed him, he had never given any indication that he'd ever do that to him but he still thought Wooyoung set him up. 

He sniffles as he cups Wooyoung's face. "I'm sorry Wooyoung" for thinking bad of you. He wants to hit his head now but Wooyoung shakes his head. 

"Yeosang you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who's always hurting you, I'm never there for you... you're always getting hurt because of me" his tears wet Yeosang's hand. 

"It's not your fault, don't blame yourself Wooyoung" his heart almost rips as he looks at Wooyoung's eyes filled with regret and pain. He didn't deserve to be in pain, he's already had too much of it.

Wooyoung reaches both his hands through the bars and cups Yeosang's face, trying to lean their foreheads together but touching the cold metal instead, he takes a deep breath. 

"I love you Yeosang"

Yeosang takes a sharp breath, looking up at him with wide eyes. But Wooyoung doesn't react to his surprised expression, he only strokes his face gently "Yeosang, I love you" 

He whispers it with closed eyes and pinched eyebrows. His heart is racing a million miles per hour.

Yeosang's mouth is dry and he can't seem to form any words, his heart beating too loudly for him to hear anything else. Wooyoung just continues cupping his face as tears fall down from both of them. 

"I'll get you out of there" he says, letting go and taking a step back. Yeosang wants to stop him, have him here for a bit longer... he doesn't mind staying in here as long as he's with him. 

But Wooyoung squeezes his hand, moving away from him "I'll get you out of there Yeosang" 

When he walks away, their hands fall out of grip. Yeosang wants to tell him to stop, but it's too late as he's running out the door and he's left, trying to reach for him through the bars and letting out a choked sob. 

"Wooyoung..." he whispers, staring at the empty space in front of him. His voice rings in his head, replaying that scene all over again. I love you, Yeosang. 

He slides down on to the floor, heart breaking. His mother sits next to him and places a warm hand on his shoulder. "Sweetheart who was that?"

He looks up at his mother with tears eyes "he's everything" then proceeds to sob into his knees. His mother understands straight away and nods, rubbing comforting circles on his back. 

"He saved me, he kept me company, he's kind to me, he protects me" he mumbles from his knees "he's everything to me"

~

Wooyoung runs through the halls, frantically looking for something that could open the cell. He tried looking for the keys but it was not use and it would take too much time. He needs to find something that can break the door down. 

He runs so quickly he doesn't notice someone else running towards him until they both crash into each other, both falling on the floor. He groans at the impact and looks up to see Yunho and immediately widens his eyes. 

"You've got to help me Yunho" he says, grabbing his collar with pleading eyes. 

"Woah what's going on? Did something happen?" He's confused at Wooyoung's panicked state, he usually always remains calm even in the worst situation... did something happen to Yeosang?

"I've found Yeosang and his family but they're in a cell in the basement, I don't know how to open the door, help me!" Wooyoung shakes his collar and Yunho has to grab him to stop him from exploding out of fear. 

"Don't worry, I'll get Hongjoong and the others. We'll tell them we've found everyone- we're on the last stage of our mission". 

Yunho's words slap Wooyoung back into reality. This is no time to be blubbering all over the place, he needs to save Yeosang. 

He wipes his tears and nods, letting go of Yunho and standing up, "time for plan B?" He nods, taking him to Hongjoong and they tell him about Yeosang. 

They take their team down to the basement with Wooyoung's lead, and a heavy metal rod. As they run into the room, he orders them to stand back, as it takes Yunho, Hongjoong and Wooyoung to run back and slam the rod into the door, loosening it. They hear what sounds like a stampede towards them as they look back to find the police, and they let them through as they kick open the cell door, releasing the trapped family. 

Yeosang wastes no time as he immediately runs to Wooyoung, grabbing his face and kissing him hard in front of everyone. 

"You saved me again" he whispers into his lips. 

Wooyoung only smiles and runs a hand though Yeosang's hair, letting it rest at his neck. "I will always protect you with everything I have", he says, making him and their audience smile widely. 

They all head up to go outside, the police staying and searching the place to arrest all of les rois. "Thank you for calling us, this is an extremely serious issue so we are grateful to you" one of the officers tells them and Yunho nods. 

Yeosang grabs Yunho and Hongjoong and hugs them tightly. "This would not have been possible without you, you have no idea how thankful I am" he wants to give something to repay their kindness but he knows they'll turn his offer down. 

"It's no problem Yeosang, we just want you to live comfortably from now on" Hongjoong says as he hugs Yeosang back. 

When they pull away, Yunho pats his head "take care Yeosang, keep in touch since we're friends now!" He says, which makes the prince nod enthusiastically, only an idiot would let this be the last time they see each other. 

Yeosang's mother stands next to him and Yeosang only realises when Yunho's eyes sudden widen and he bows low. 

"You boys are very brave, thank you for saving my family. All because of you, our suffering has stopped, I cannot give an amount to show how grateful I am"

Hongjoong shakes his head "Your Majesty, we thank you for your gratitude, we were just helping our friend, you don't need to give us anything, we just wish for you to be safe". 

The queen smiles at their nobility, wanting to say more but being outside after so long, she gets tired quickly. Yeosang notices and grabs her arm, taking her to the police car, who offer to take them home. 

"I have to get going now" Yeosang says, smiling at them "thank you again for everything, I'll see you soon" They wave at him as he walks away. 

He walks to Wooyoung, who is playing with Yeojin. He notices Yeosang's presence so he turns around "oh you're here?" 

He nods, "I have to get home now, the car is waiting" Wooyoung hums, his heart beats painfully. Who knows when they'll see each other again. 

Yeosang isn't going to let Wooyoung out of his sight any more though. "Come with us"

"What?" Wooyoung raises his eyebrows, is he saying what he thinks he's saying?

It seems like he is, as Yeosang shakes his head "I'm not letting you go anywhere else. Come to the palace with me. You'll get your own room, we can figure something out, just please- stay with me" 

Wooyoung is already walking towards the car, holding his hand. If Yeosang wants it, he'll do it. 

He'll do anything for Yeosang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me if you felt like this was rushed! I was kinda having writer's block and this chapter may have come out rushed in the process, especially at the end.


	31. XXX

Yeosang paces his room, Wooyoung is a few doors down the hallway and he must be extremely tired from today, and it's almost midnight... but he misses Wooyoung already. 

...He's just going to check if he's asleep yet or not, since he can't fall asleep.

He swings open the door, and the guards outside his room turn around quickly, alarmed at his sudden action. He gestures for them to move but they stay still. 

"Apologies your highness, but we have been ordered to not let anyone inside the room or for you to leave the room, you must stay protected at all times". One of them say, hands crossed. 

Yeosang raises his eyebrows. Seriously? He's being trapped in a room again, he might as well go back to where he was when he got kidnapped. 

But he's not going to take it "I just need some fresh air, I'm feeling suffocated in here". It had barely been an hour since they came home and showed Wooyoung his room and suddenly rushed to his own room for 'protection'. 

"We will accompany you then" the say and form a circle around Yeosang, which is even more suffocating than the room. 

He rolls his eyes, "no, I want to go to Wooyoung's room" he's tired of this and just wants to see Wooyoung as soon as possible, so he'll just tell them. 

The guards raise their eyebrows "the boy you came in with? Who is he? Why do you want to go to his room?" 

They all stare at Yeosang with questioning eyes "I'm going to spend the night in his room" he says bluntly and one of the guards coughs loudly. 

They asked the question, so he answered. It's not his fault they are so nosy. 

"We were ordered to protect you, if-"

"Okay okay" Yeosang pushes past them, they could follow him if they liked "you can stand outside of Wooyoung's room instead of mine, but not too close" 

Yeosang can feel their horrified stares as he walks down the hallway, but he couldn't care less and gives them one last smirk before opening the door. He slams it behind him which startles Wooyoung as he didn't notice Yeosang entering, and turns around to see him marching towards him. "Oh hey Yeosang, is there anything you nee-"

He is pushed roughly, making him sit on the bed as Yeosang sits in his lap, straddling his waist and pulls him in for a kiss.

Wooyoung almost chokes at the sudden action but immediately recovers as Yeosang runs his hand through his hair, lips moving roughly against his. He holds his waist and pulls him closer, tongues pushing against each other's. Yeosang's lips are soft even though the kiss isn't.

Wooyoung is pushed so that they lie down, and that he is on top of him. He wants to ask why he is suddenly kissing him like they won't ever see each other again, but he's not complaining so he lets him be. He's been craving his touch for ages so when Yeosang is giving it to him with such enthusiasm, who is he to stop him? 

Wooyoung's hands move from his waist to his ass, squeezing it gently. The touch alone is enough to make Yeosang gasp softly, hot air against Wooyoung's lips, and the sound goes straight to his dick. 

His fingers sneak beneath the hem of Yeosang's shirt and he fucking does it again, gasps right into his mouth as he sucks in his stomach. Wooyoung guesses his fingers are cold, and Yeosang's skin is burning. He presses in even closer and licks into Yeosang's mouth, tongue tracing his teeth and doing things with it that leave him feeling drunk. 

"So beautiful" He whispers against his lips. 

Yeosang pulls away and cants his head back, sucking in a breath of the cooler air above them as Wooyoung rakes blunt nails up his sides, taking his shirt with them. Wooyoung is now at eye-level with his throat and gets distracted by its beauty. He wonders if Yeosang knows just what the hell he's doing when he presents it like that.

He leans forward to press his lips against the side of his neck, catching some skin between his teeth and bites it, softly, remembering that he's a prince and it would be preferred if he isn't all marked up. Yeosang turns to kiss him again, hands lazily playing with his hair. 

Wooyoung can feel the kiss slowing down, Yeosang is probably tired after today, so he pulls away, resting their foreheads together and wrapping his arms around his waist in a hug. 

Yeosang strokes his cheeks as he lols at him sleepily. "Thank you for coming with me" 

Wooyoung smiles gently "If you wanted me to then of course I'll come with you, I'll do anything you want"

Yeosang's heart hammers in his chest, he can't handle it when Wooyoung talks all gently to him so he buries his face in his chest, feeling shy at they way he looks at him. 

"I love you Yeosang" 

He slowly looks up from his chest, smiling brightly. He didn't get to say it back last time. But now they have all the time in the world. 

"I love you too. So much"

~

They wake up to loud knocking on the door, Yeosang lifts his head from Wooyoung's chest and groans "what" he just wants to go back to sleep. 

They hear someone clearing their throat "your highness... you have a meeting in an hour, requested by the Queen". 

Yeosang flops back into bed, holding tighter onto Wooyoung. He hates meetings, they're always so dull and serious, there's no doubt this ones going to be even longer too, but he has no choice but to attend. 

He pushes Wooyoung onto his back and kisses his neck, trailing his lips along his jaw until he reaches his ear. "You wanna entertain me before the meeting?" He whispers in his ear then catches it between his teeth, making Wooyoung shudder. 

He nods, trying not to moan at they way Yeosang kisses along his jaw again, hot breath fanning over him. "I need a shower, come on" 

He pulls a flustered Wooyoung out of bed and takes him to the bathroom, getting rid of all his clothes so he does the same too. Turning the knob, hot water splashes over them and they both sigh at the same time, it's so relaxing Yeosang almost falls asleep again, but he needs to stay awake. 

He places a hand behind Wooyoung's neck and pulls him in for a kiss, melting at the way their lips always slid perfectly into each other. They stand closer so that their bodies are touching. 

Wooyoung's hands trail down Yeosang's back as he kisses his neck, biting where he likes it the most and earning soft moans from the other. His lips move down slowly, licking and kissing his wet body until he is kneeling on the shower floor, hot breath fanning over his stomach. Yeosang knows what's coming so he braces himself by sliding his fingers into Wooyoung's hair, letting out a shaky breath when he takes his cock into his mouth. 

Yeosang groans, head moving up and letting the water splash onto his faces as Wooyoung tightens the grip on his hips while moving his head. He has all the time in the world, sucking at him gently before pulling off again, tilting his head so he can kiss down the side of his shaft, then drag his tongue up again in a thick, wet stripe. Somewhere above him, Yeosang swallows audibly, fingers twitching against his hair while Wooyoung's own hands are roaming his sensitive thighs, fingernails digging into the inner side of them only occasionally.

Yeosang is already starting to turn into a mess of moans and shaky breaths. "Fuck" he says, and Wooyoung can feel his hips twitch. He lets out a breathy warning and Wooyoung just hums, the vibration against his dick make him cum immediately with a loud moan. 

Wooyoung stands up straight after swallowing the whole load and crashes his lips onto Yeosang's, shoving his tongue inside and relishing the whines he got in return. 

Yeosang removes his hand from around Wooyoung's waist to grab his cock, pumping it in between them as their tongues fought for dominance. Wooyoung seems determined to win though, as he turns the other around so that his back is flush against his chest. Yeosang let out a moans as his neck and shoulders are littered with bites and kisses, both whispering confessions of love to each other. 

His back is pushed forward making him bend, as Wooyoung inserts a finger inside of him, pumping his tight hole until he can fit another one. Yeosang is a moaning mess under his touch and begs for more, so he obeys, slowly slipping in his member and lets him adjust to the feeling, hands running along his back and placing kisses on his spine. 

When Yeosang tells him to move, he starts off slow. But the prince seems to want more as he tells him to go faster, hands trying to find a grip on the wall in front of him as Wooyoung's thrusts become harder, the sound of their skin slapping becoming louder. 

Wooyoung changes the angle so he hits his prostate with every thrust and Yeosang almost faints with pleasure, hands slipping and struggling against the tiled wall. The grip on his hips tighten as Wooyoung moves faster, feeling close to the edge, moaning at they way his tight walls clench around him. 

Their breaths become faster, Wooyoung's hips stuttering one last time before slamming into Yeosang, releasing his load inside him with a loud moan, Yeosang cums at the same time with shaky breaths, having orgasmed twice. Out of breath, they rinse themselves off, just standing in each other's presence and breathing simultaneously. Yeosang hugs Wooyoung tightly and buries his head in the others shoulder. 

Once they get out, Yeosang only has little time left before his meeting, having spent most of his time in the shower. He gets ready quickly and leaves Wooyoung with a kiss, not having time to chat.

Wooyoung watches him go with a gentle smile. Yeosang was so happy, which makes him happy too. They don't have to think about anyone hurting them, they're not trapped anymore. 

It makes his heart swell in happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance, don't wait up for an update tomorrow, I'm going to need a bit more time but I'll probably get it done the day after hopefully, sorry again! I didn't mean for this to happen but I fell behind slightly, Hope everyone is doing well ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡


	32. XXXI

Yeosang fiddles with his fingers under the table as his mother sits next to him along with other advisors at the meeting. The queen stands up, clearing her throat as everyone looks up expectantly.

"I'm sure you are all aware of the reason I have called this meeting today" They all nod, waiting for her to continue. 

"I want to get the most important things done first, so before we discuss restoring the country, I feel it's best to eliminate the threat first"

Yeosang's mind races back to the past few months and all the things that happened. It seems like yesterday they were celebrating their lineage and the horrors that came after it. The atrocities that came from les rois. It's impossible for him to think about it without his stomach churning in discomfort, not wanting to relive the moments he wants to forget so badly. 

Eden stands up as the queen gestures for him to speak, since he's the one that has been guiding everyone after the disappearances the royal family.

"As of last night, all known members of les rois have been arrested and are waiting to be put on trial. The building has been shut down and is being investigated for further links, we are doing everything we can to eliminate their threat and prevent something like this from ever happening again. As of now, it is important to keep the public calm now that the news has spread that the royal family is back and what happened to them". 

Yeosang marvels at the man, he has been working with their family for as long as he can remember. The way he talks so confidently makes him glad that they have someone like Eden on their side, he's a smart man and Yeosang always feels safety in his words and judgement. 

"Furthermore, due to a special request by the prince, we have arrested Kim Dongsun, also known as he man who Jung Wooyoung worked for. He's been charged with many cases such as abuse, murder, fraud and much more so he has been imprisoned for life". 

Yeosang sighs in relief at his words. He and Wooyoung had been notified about this before and both immediately broke down into tears, Yeosang having to calm Wooyoung down after his breathing got ragged and stopped hearing things. It's painful now but he hopes they can feel safe soon. 

Everyone at the table nods and the queen thanks him for the announcement. "As much effort we are putting into the safety of the royal family, I would like to honour those who provided us the safety we now have. Without our team tackling the rebel group and arresting them, we wouldn't be where we are now". 

Yeosang furrows his eyebrows. It wasn't them... it was Wooyoung. And Yunho and Hongjoong. He so badly wanted to give them the credit they deserve, everyone must know who his true heroes are, who truly saved their lives through their own meticulous planning and sacrifice. Those three people did more than a whole police team. 

Fortunately his mother acknowledges their efforts and Yeosang doesn't need to throw a fit. She looks at his grimace and smiles gently, remembering her first impression of Wooyoung. "Though it's true our team was helpful, the safety of my family would not have been achieved without specific people I owe everything to, brave citizens that shall be rewarded generously for their nobility. I'll leave this for Yeosang to expand on". She turns to him, smiling at his surprised expression. 

He didn't think he'd be talking at the meeting too, he doesn't have anything prepared. But still, everyone is staring at him expectantly so with a deep breath, he stands up. 

"Jung Wooyoung, Jung Yunho and Kim Hongjoong. These three have been planning for months on how to save me and my family despite the uncertainty of they were alive or not. But they still helped me, got hurt for me, took care of me. They provided comfort and safety and even though I was in danger, I always felt safe with them. These three did all this expecting nothing, they don't work for us, they were just selfless and sacrificed their time and effort to help me. The one and only reason my family is restored is because of them". 

So much for not preparing anything. Yeosang just says what is in his head, he wishes he could repay them but he doesn't know how. 

Eden suggests to invite them over and give them the reward for returning the royal family as promised but they deserve way more. 

"Then it's settled" the queen concludes "we will invite them here as soon as possible to pay for their courage. Even though a price cannot be put for what they have done for my family and I, but it's the least we can do". 

As she dismisses everyone, Yeosang panics, this meeting was too short. They need to do more for Wooyoung and the others, paying them isn't enough. He sees his mother leaving but he quickly runs up to her. 

"We have to do more for them! Wooyoung... he's not just the person who saved us, he's got nowhere to go and he'll probably feel uncomfortable living here without a reason". 

Yeosang had though about Wooyoung living with him in the palace forever but it only recently occurred to him that he might get restless here without anything to do, or even bored. What if he gets fed up and leaves him? He can't have that ever happening so the easiest way to keep him with him is to get a job here. 

"What if he works with us?" His mother looks at him with a confused expression "I could ask him, I think he'll like it, maybe work with the guards, he can be my personal bodyguard I know he's capable enough" 

Yeosang honestly just wants to be close to him as much as possible so what better job to get than a personal bodyguard? However, the queen doesn't seem to be sold.

"Yeosang honey I know he's your boyfriend but you can't have him working as your bodyguard just because you want him near you, you'll get sick of each other. Also, we have a perfectly capable team with us, we don't need someone who's has no training, it's untrustworthy". 

For some reason, Yeosang can't help but feel offended at her words. He knows what Wooyoung can do and it's a hundred times better that what the others can do, he'll just have to prove it to her. How can she not trust him to do a good job when he saved their whole family?

"Fine. I'm the only one who knows that Wooyoung the best at what he does and he needs to be appreciated for that. How about you test his skills? you won't be disappointed because he's got years of training and experience" 

The queen considers it for a while and after a moment she agrees to the idea. Yeosang grins widely, shouting a thank you then running to the room where Wooyoung is waiting. 

~

They walk around the town (accompanied by five other guards) and Yeosang tries to figure out a way to bring up the topic of working at the palace to Wooyoung. 

His mother's voice rings in his head 'you can't have him working as your bodyguard... you'll get sick of each other'. The thought of that ever happening makes him shudder, he can't ever let that happen. If he leaves him, he won't be able to take care of Wooyoung and make sure he has a peaceful life. Yeosang wants to make him forget about his life before they met and start a new one together, a happy and safe life. It's not possible it they get sick of one another so he decides to scrap the bodyguard idea. Maybe being close to him 24/7 is a bit overwhelming. Mostly because Yeosang would not be able to be professional with him and most likely get caught making out on the job. 

Even then, whatever job Wooyoung takes will most likely have Yeosang pull him to a corner and make out with him. 

"How do you like the palace so far?" 

Wooyoung glances over at him, smiling gently. "It's nice, very big. I've always wanted to live in a big house, this outdoes my dreams"

Yeosang's heart swells, glad that Wooyoung is happy now. He just wants to give him a peaceful life, he doesn't deserve anymore pain. 

"So... how would you feel working at the palace? You could take on any job you want, maybe with the guards?" 

Wooyoung looks surprised at his suggestion, he was beginning to feel a bit out of place just taking up a room in the palace. He felt awkward just staying there without any reason, the thought of getting a job and earning money rather than stealing it makes him quite excited. 

"I'd love to!" Wooyoung has always wanted to get a genuine job, he quickly got tired of the life he lived before. Now he can earn money the real way. 

Yeosang smiles at how excited he looks, he knows he'll do an amazing job at whatever he chooses, it's just that he needs to gain everyone's trust that he'll do well. But it's no problem as he's the most talented in the field, Wooyoung would pass the test with flying colours. 

The guards can hear their conversation and Yeosang doesn't miss the scoff from one of them. What more does Wooyoung need to do for them to believe that he can work with them? Clearly saving the whole royal family wasn't enough for them. He is about to give a glare to the guard but is halted to a stop when a bullet just about misses his head. 

His eyes widen in surprise as he stands still, mind clouded with fear. The guards immediately run, looking for whoever shot the gun and time seems to be moving in slow motion as everyone frantically protects him. 

Wooyoung's eyes scan the area as his blood boils. He won't hesitate to snap their neck whoever dared to come near Yeosang. His chest rises and falls slowly as he walks forward, jaw clenched as he sees someone hiding behind a bush. The guards are running around looking everywhere, guns ready to shoot, but they have all left the prince unguarded, and Yeosang, who seems to be blanked out in fear just stands there. 

He needs to be quick then, so he grabs the man off guard and he shrieks, struggling against Wooyoung's strong grip. He can't help the tears that fall as he punches the man. 

"How dare you come near him" he growls so low it's barely audible. But the man just whimpers, as Wooyoung grabs his collar and swings his fist back. 

But is stopped when someone grabs his hand. 

He looks back to see Yeosang's 'guards' behind him, looking shocked. "Stop! He's innocent!"

Wooyoung furrows his eyebrows, this is definitely the guy who attempted to shoot Yeosang. He ignores them and swings his fist back again, but the man is pulled out of his grip. 

"Wait! This is just a test he works for us, the gun is fake" 

The guards seem to be out of breath and slightly intimidated by Wooyoung, trying to get him to calm down. He looks at Yeosang who still seems to be in shock. 

He runs over to him and grabs his face, scanning the unfocused eyes. "Are you okay?" Yeosang's eyes are shiny and he takes a deep breath, finally looking at Wooyoung and nodding. 

Yeosang was told of the plan beforehand, he was prepared for it, they had gone over it. But he really wasn't prepared. He had gone through a lot the past few months, he should be able to take it. But after feeling the relief of everything being over and feeling safe again, this small thing makes it hard to breathe, it might take a while to get over what happened to him. Having Wooyoung stroking his cheeks and whispering encouraging words to him makes him feel like it'll all be okay. 

He can do it. 

~

Yeosang is standing next to his mother, both in royal attire. He hasn't felt a crown on his head in ages, it feels heavy. 

In front of them are Wooyoung, Yunho and Hongjoong, who were sent invitations to visit the palace to receive gifts. Yunho's expression is mixed with amazement and fear, gawking at the baroque architecture of the room. Hongjoong looks calm and collected by Yeosang can see the slight nervousness in his eyes. 

Wooyoung just marvels at the prince, having only seen him in a crown once, but he didn't pay much attention to him back then. Now he can relish his beauty as much as he wants, eyes taking him in. He looks like a prince. His body language, the face, the aura, everything about him screams royalty. 

"You are most likely curious as to why I have personally called you here. I am sure you know how grateful I am to you for restoring my family. You have not only done a miraculous deed for me, but for the whole kingdom too and I can not thank you enough for this"

Yeosang smiles at them proudly, all three have changed his life drastically and they deserve the world. 

"I know you will be hesitant to accept this but I sincerely insist. You three will be honoured by the kingdom as heroes for your nobility and courage". 

It's Yeosang's cue to walk up to them, medals in hand. He puts it around Hongjoong's neck, who smiles shyly at him then bows. Next is Yunho so he has to tip toe a bit and is blessed with a big smile from him. He approaches Wooyoung, who winks at him and Yeosang has to bite back a laugh, he needs to be professional now. He puts the medal around his neck, hands lingering there for a second too long to be sensible but it doesn't matter. 

They each receive a very large sum of money as a gratitude gift and are escorted out, Wooyoung stays since he lives with them. 

"Wooyoung I was very impressed with your performance this morning" the queen says. The test they had planned only consisted of someone shooting a fake gun then seeing how fast Wooyoung would respond. Even the guards didn't know where the shooter was, it was a race between Wooyoung and the guards. 

"I can tell you are passionate in protecting my son, and you have a natural talent in this field that even the best trained could not outdo you, I think you have a good life ahead of you. We would be more than happy to have you on our team. I think you would need to acquire a senior position, it seems like you have a lot to teach, my guards seem to be lacking". 

Wooyoung blinks rapidly, not believing what he's hearing. He's always loved the thought of teaching but he also loves fighting. Being given the opportunity to do both is a dream come true, he'd be an idiot to pass up the opportunity. 

"I'd love to your majesty"

Yeosang gasps then claps, glad that he chose to work with them. The queen seems to be glad too as she claps along, walking up to him and pats his head. 

"Now take good care of my son, he loves you a lot. And do well in your new job!" 

He nods enthusiastically "I will!"

~

After weeks of nagging, Yeosang finally manages to get together with Wooyoung, Yunho and Hongjoong. They all are busy with their new lives, as they become very popular after being named the heroes of the kingdom. 

The four of them sit in the garden of the palace, as Yeosang has to be accompanied by multiple guards if he left so staying here means he gets some privacy. 

"Thank you for finally making time for me" Yeosang says, exaggerating his pout as Hongjoong laughs. 

"Yunho and I could never reject your offer to meet Yeosang I don't know what you're talking about" Hongjoong says despite always rescheduling their hang outs. 

"I've just missed you all so much" he whines, grabbing Wooyoung and sitting on him. Working at the palace is so boring, too political. And he barely even sees Wooyoung since he doesn't attend meetings, only being able to see him at night. 

"Why are you clinging onto Wooyoung? It's us you haven't seen in ages!" Yunho pouts this time and Yeosang laughs at the way Hongjoong smacks him. 

As they chat properly for the first time in ages, all four of them become overwhelmed with the love their receive from each other. When Yeojin runs into the garden to play with them, they all cheer and dance with her, hopping around the garden. A beautiful scene. 

Wooyoung feels safe and secure. The boy in his lap he loves, loves him back, and he's got amazing friends that take care of him, his job is extremely fun, Wooyoung has never felt his free before. 

Yeosang smiles gently at the people around him. The arms around his waist, the two lovers in front of him, the playful shouts. Moments like these are ones he wants to keep forever. These people saved his life and he's grateful that they are his friends now, he'll do anything to protect them and they'll do anything to protect him. 

Their hang out time ends as each of them have to get back to their afternoon plans. Yeosang waves at them sadly, watching them leave the palace. Wooyoung had already gone to train other new guards and his own meeting is coming up in a few minutes, having to run there since he spent too long staring off at the distance after his friends left. 

Luckily, the meeting ends swiftly and also at the same time as the end of Wooyoung's lesson. He quickly runs out of the room to where Wooyoung is, hiding in a corner so no one could see him. 

He knows Wooyoung has another lesson to go to after this but he could spare a few seconds.

He sees the door open and hides out of Wooyoung's sight, catching him off guard when he grabs his hand, pulling him into the corner and connects their lips. Wooyoung doesn't even need to think twice before he is wrapping his arms around his waist, kissing back with equal force. They run out of air but as soon as Wooyoung pulls away, Yeosang is latching his lips onto his again, hands pulling lightly at his hair, making him moan in his mouth. 

When Yeosang finally pulls away, he keeps their faces close, both breathing heavily into each other's mouths. Wooyoung's gentle hands slowly caress his back, despite being late for his next lesson. That can wait. He needs to cherish every moment with Yeosang. 

Yeosang's mind is always at peace with him. It always had since the beginning, Wooyoung just has this aura around him where you can't help but feel safe. He was never bad to Yeosang. He was never a bad guy. 

"I love you"

"I love you more"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end!
> 
> I've made this chapter slightly longer to make up for the wait, I hope it meets everyone's expectations! Idk if you can tell but I was having really bad writers block
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I love you all for clicking on this and making it to the end ❤️💕❤️❤️💜💕💜❤️💜

**Author's Note:**

> God I love Woosang  
> I will be updating once a week until I've finished it, then the updates will be more often so please bear with me :)


End file.
